typhoon |

Typhoon Basyang (international name: Conson) ripped through the country Tuesday night, directly hitting the metropolis and causing a massive blackout over Luzon. Power went out before midnight as howling winds and heavy rains pounded the city. By one in the morning, the entire Luzon grid had gone down and we were left in the dark to ponder our fates and ride out the storm. Telephone lines were cut; cellular communications were also spotty and unreliable hours into Wednesday morning.

The kids woke up shortly after the power went out, complaining of the sudden lack of airconditioning. I could not open windows as the strong rain threatened to flood the room and wet electronic gadgets. So, I stayed up half the night fanning Alphonse furiously. Even with my exertions, however, he could not sleep very well, tossing and turning all night. At four in the morning, he was too tired to care and he finally fell asleep on the floor, his head resting on a beanbag.

We were one of the lucky ones; we got our power restored at five in the morning. Last night, the news over radio reported that there were still many parts of the city without electricity. We could only pray for those who still suffer in the darkness and hope that things normalize today.

Still, we were not without our own share of problems. Because this season’s rain has fallen sparingly over the major dams supplying the city with water, we started to feel the effects of low water pressure a few days ago. True, we have been conserving water since the start of summer, storing up as much as we can and using and reusing water with an end to conserving our city’s depleted supplies. But with our house perched on high ground, we have been unable to access water some days altogether. We wake up at dawn to wait for trickles of water, and even then, some days, water simply doesn’t come. Today, however, we were ecstatic to see water flow freely out of our faucets for the first time in days. Typhoon Basyang might have caused a lot of damage in the city, but it certainly did its share in raising the dams’ water level some.

The sun is finally up today and we intend to enjoy the good weather it brings. We desperately need more rain to fall over the dams, but for now, we are simply grateful that the darkness of the last two days have been dispelled. Enjoy the sun, everyone!

From Times News Network Flickr

We were caught unaware, that much is true. Weather services warned us of a small typhoon coming in Friday night, but since our country is beseiged with typhoons year round, we thought we were prepared.

We were wrong.

In the first six hours alone of continuous, torrential rains, levels exceeded the highest 24-hour rainfall recorded 42 years ago, in 1967. The amount of rain we experienced from Typhoon Ondoy (Tropical Storm Ketsana) was almost equal Metro Manila’s monthly rainfall average. The result was a devastating flood that covered Metro Manila, submerging houses, businesses, vehicles, and people in ravaging two-storey high waters.

This morning’s news were bleak. Some people drowned in their cars, trapped in the sudden rising waters; their bodies were recovered this morning. There are still many, many people trapped on the roofs of their houses. The rains have stopped, thankfully, but the waters have yet to recede. Electricity and water services are still off most areas. Even cellular phone services are spotty, their signals coming on and off. The waters spared very little in their paths.

Yesterday, A and Alex were in Katipunan Avenue early morning for Alex’s math lessons. Afterwards, A was supposed to bring Alex to Assumption Antipolo to watch a friend’s auditions. When the rains got progressively worse, I prevailed upon them to go straight home. I am grateful that they did. If they had not, they would have been caught in the flashfloods in the area, or Alex and A would have been separated, with Alex hapless in Antipolo and A stranded in the streets amid the rising flood waters. It took them four hours to make what was normally a thirty-minute drive home. If they had tried to go home just minutes later, they would never have made it back.

As I write this, I thank God that my family is safe and in high ground. I think about my friends and loved ones whom I have not been able to get in touch with. I worry most about those living in severely affected areas like Marikina, Cainta, and Pasig. I pray that wherever they are right now, they are safe and warm and dry.

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