This picture was taken from inside my brother's room at around 4pm on September 26, 2009.
I am still in shock over what just happened to our country. It is something I have never witnessed firsthand. Something I know is real, yet at the same time, incredibly surreal.
On September 26, at around 10 in the morning, nature took its toll on Metro Manila and devastated it. Thousands of Filipinos currently suffer as the biggest storm in 40 something years hit the very heart of Luzon. September 26th was a blur of gray skies, endless rain and flash floods that no one, including the authorities supposedly involved foresaw, nor anticipated. But despite having had more accurate knowledge that a storm was a-brewing, tell me, who could have possibly prepared for such a calamitous event?
Although I am personally affected by this tragedy, my loss can not even begin to compare to what my other countrymen have experienced. What these people have worked for, what they have built and acquired in their entire lifetimes, they have lost in just one day. I'm not talking about furniture or household appliances that can easily be replaced. Nor houses, roofs and other things that; though painfully, can also be replaced. I'm talking about all things immaterial and irreplaceable; specifically lives.
It is not the first time a tragedy of this caliber has hit our country, or any other country for that matter. Take for example, the well-publicized Hurricane Katrina, the world renowned culprit for the New Orleans catastrophe in 2005. Despite its reputation for being one of the most devastating hurricanes in history, it is a published fact that Hurricane Katrina was no match to Typhoon Ondoy. Not too surprising after taking into account that we are a tropical archipelago with an official Monsoon season every year.
According to an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Katrina produced 250 mm of rain, what now seems like a manageable amount compared to the whopping 455 mm of rain Ondoy produced in 24 hours. But the heavy rain and alarmingly fast-rising flood turned out not to be the only disaster we've encountered. What turned out to be an even bigger disaster was, ironically, our disaster relief programs.
It was not anyone's, including the government's, fault that we experienced a month's worth of rainfall in a day. That was something that can be contributed solely to nature and perhaps, global warming. Though that is a meaty topic in itself, I won't get into it just now. My point is, Ondoy was not our government's fault. To be honest, I don't even think they are to blame them for our poor irrigation system. This may not be acceptable; however I think our terrible irrigation is excusable given our third world status. What I do find inexcusable however, is the poor judgment and ineffective response they exhibited to those who bore the brunt of the storm. As thousands of Filipinos lay stranded on their rooftops with no access to any of the human being's basic needs, what did they do first? 3 words: Point the finger.
Apart from the lack of support, another great tragedy is the reported behavior of some officials in charge. It's a disgrace to see how some people, especially those in power, have turned this disaster into a promotional campaign, and in some cases I've heard, a money making scheme. To them I have only this to say: Shame on you.
We are fortunate that regular citizens and non government organizations took action as soon as was permitted. Medical and rescue missions were launched quickly, and thousands of volunteers braved these greatly affected areas, determined to help those in need. It is disheartening that in these times of grievance, our government's aid is pitiful, to say the least. It is truly disappointing to see that even the most regular of Joes can somehow make up for our government's incompetence.
Many people now wish that they knew what was about to happen, so as to have taken the necessary precautions beforehand. I'm sure some people even wish it had never happened. But if there were such things as wishes, what I wish for is that we can rest assured that whatever happened after the storm, never happens again.
They say there is always a rainbow after every storm. If our rainbow turns out to be the betterment of our country's system, then that's good enough for me.
