Last September 26, 2009, the country was devastated by a super strong force of nature which literally submerged low-lying areas in Metro Manila and other neighboring provinces, leaving millions of damage to property and a loss of more than two hundred innocent lives.
He's the buzz of all the radio and television stations in the country on the night of devastation. His name was PAG-ASA's favorite as it was repeatedly mentioned for a couple of times in its weather bulletins. And he's the one which left Manila floating in tears and tragedy - now considered as the Filipinos' worst nightmare. Who could ever forget Typhoon Ondoy? The name is still resounding in everyone's head as it caused pain and suffering to people resulting to a deep cut difficult to heal.
[Typhoon Ondoy nearing landfall]
Facts && Figures:
Tropical Storm Ondoy (Int.Name: Ketsana [a kind of perfumed tree; name contributed by LAO PDR])
Time/Date: 6:00 PM PST Sat September 26 2009
Location of Center: 15.4º N Lat 121.0º E Lon
MaxWinds (1-min avg): 65 kph (35 kts) near the center
Peak Wind Gusts:85 kph (45 kts)
Size (in Diameter): 445 km (240 nm)
["In just one day, Ondoy brought Manila a month’s worth of rain. With 412mm of rainfall, it surpassed even the wrath of Hurricane Katrina four years ago. Houses were swallowed by floods. Many lives were lost. Yet still the Filipinos remained resilient.
I was asleep when the tragedy happened- unconscious of all the action and drama happening in Manila. When I woke up and turned the TV on, there I witnessed Ondoy's aftermath. Severe flooding, people drowning, deaths, people missing, evacuees, especially "Provident Village" in Marikina now appropriately called a "ghost village", the rescue of Cristine Reyes, and many other terrifying occurrences - that if you watch all of them, you would be thankful your life was spared from the havoc.
But among the many stories of devastation and despair, we now hear stories of hope, of people who risked their lives to save others, of entire communities that immediately mobilized volunteer groups and sent relief goods to those in need. The invisible, once impenetrable, barriers that lay between the levels of our stratified nation broke as rich and poor, famous, and ordinary untelevised-folks helped each other and are helping each other survive the storm. Millions worth of donations in cash and in kind also flooded different institutions as soon as they've heard about the horrying destruction. Today, in the midst of crisis, the Filipinos stand united.
Of course there are those who still cannot shed their own selfish interest. Certain politicians seem to be using the aftermath as a means to rank up popularity points. However, as much as I find this despicable, help is help and we need all that we can get."]
The Backwash
What happened in Manila is not just any ordinary calamity. It was a fierce tragedy everyone should be aware and be frightened of. This is nature's way of avenging for harming the planet. We become more and more abusive of nature's benefits; we get and gain mortal power but no one could ever defeat nature's retaliation.
Let this be a warning for all of us to start caring for the planet, to start renewing the earth we once destroyed, and to begin thinking for the next generations.
