Storm 'Ondoy' makes landfall, causes widespread flooding

Thousands of people fled their homes Saturday as overnight

rains brought by tropical storm "Ondoy" caused flooding in
wide areas of metropolitan Manila and other provinces of
the northern Philippines.

Swollen creeks forced many residents in some communities
on to the roofs of their homes and they were calling for help
to evacuate, according to local radio reports.

Television news footage showed one flooded road in
suburban Quezon City appearing like a raging river. The
storm intensified the seasonal monsoon, drenching much of
the main island of Luzon where Manila is located,
weathermen said.
Most-affected by floods were low-lying areas of the national
capital and parts of nearby Rizal province, where at least four
children were reported to have been swept away by a swollen
creek.

The National Disaster Coordinating Center (NDCC) office
for the Southern Tagalog Region said the still unidentified
victims were from barangay San Jose in Antipolo City.

A 49-year-old man named Eyo Cadang died of cardiac arrest
at about 11 a.m. as floods began to inundate his home in
Paete town of Laguna province.

"Paglakas ng hangin at ulan at pagtaas ng tubig sa kanilang
lugar, 'yun siguro ang nag-trigger ng kanyang cardiac arrest
(Perhaps his cardiac arrest was triggered when the winds and
the rains intensified and flood waters rose)," engineer
Jensorel Hazareno of the Laguna Provincial Disaster
Coordinating Council told GMANews.TV by phone.

As of 2 p.m. at least 1,813 people in Metro Manila and
Southern Luzon were evacuated from their homes due to
floods, according to the NDCC in its 2 p.m. report.
[See: NDCC: 1,813 evacuated from Metro Manila, Rizal]

Of the 363 families or 1,813 people evacuated, 260 families
or 1,300 were from San Mateo town.

At least 25 villages in Marilao, Meycauayan, San Miguel and
Bocaue in Bulacan were also flooded, with floodwaters
reaching up to waist-high.

In Metro Manila, at least 33 villages in Marikina, Malabon,
Muntinlupa, Quezon, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Valenzuela and
San Juan Cities were also flooded.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., national chairman
of the NDCC, said he himself was forced to use the Metro
Rail Transit (MRT) on his way to office in Camp Aguinaldo,
Quezon City, from Pasay City because there was no passable
road.

"This kind of flash floods in Metro Manila took us all by
surprise," he said, adding that flooding was also reported in
Bulacan and Pampanga provinces north of Manila.

In an interview with GMA News, he urged motorists to stay
home to avoid getting caught in the floods. He also called on
the MRT and Light Rail Transit (LRT) authorities not to
stop their operations for the benefit of stranded commuters.

Ondoy (international code name Ketsana), packing
maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of
up to 100 kph, slammed into the eastern side of Luzon
Island from the Pacific Ocean before noon Saturday.

It was crossing Central Luzon and was expected to be 230
km west-northwest of Iba, Zambales by Sunday morning as it
continues to move into the South China Sea.

At least 12 areas in Luzon were placed under Storm Signal
No. 2 as Ondoy made landfall near the boundary of Aurora
and Quezon provinces.

A dozen flights in and out of central and northern
Philippines were canceled because of poor visibility, airport
officials said. Power distributor Meralco cut off electric
services to some flooded areas in metropolitan Manila to
prevent accidents, spokesman Joel Zaldarriaga said.

Hundreds of vehicles stalled in flooded streets around the
capital and nearly 2,000 passengers and more than 150
vehicles were stranded in ports in several provinces south of
Manila after the coast guard suspended ferry operations.

Weather forecasters advised those living along the coast
under Signal No. 2 to be on alert against big waves generated
by the storm.
Although Metro Manila was only under Storm Signal No. 1,
many places were reported to be heavily flooded, leaving
thousands of motorists and commuters stranded.

A resident of Kamias Street in Quezon City called
GMANews.TV to say that floods have reached chest level in
the area and many residents were stranded.

"We are flooded here! We have no second floor.Nalulunod
na kami dito (We're drowning already)," Leah Centeno said.

Many vehicles were stranded in front of Camp Aguinaldo,
the military headquarters in Quezon City, as floodwaters had
risen above chest level and visibility was almost zero.

Henry Cabural, one of 30 passengers of a stranded
provincial bus, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that
they opted to stay inside as flood waters already entered the
driver's area and was rising.

"Kanina pa kami dito. Wala nang makadaan. Yung maliliit
na kotse bubong na lang ang nakikita(We've been here for a
long time. No one can pass through anymore. Only the top
of small cars are visible)," Cabural said.


A report of the government's National Disaster Coordinating
Council (NDCC) said that at least 493 people in Metro
Manila were evacuated while 260 families in Rizal were
affected by flooding.

It also noted power interruption in parts of Labo town in
Camarines Norte due to fallen trees.

Some 1,806 passengers, 120 trucks, 27 small cars, two
passenger buses, 15 vessels and six bancas were stranded in
Batangas, Calapan, Puerto Real, Tamban, Virac, Tabaco
and Pasacao ports, according to the inter-agency task force.

The NDCC said many roads in Malabon, Quezon,
Marikina, Valenzuela, Pasay, and Muntinlupa Cities in
Metro Manila were not passable due to floods.

Roads in Malabon rendered impassable included C-4 Letre,
Tenejeros, M.H. del Pilar, Panghulo Road, Catmon and
Dampalit. Those in Quezon City included E. Rodriguez
corner Araneta Avenue.

Also impassable were M.H. del Pilar in front of Pio
Elementary School in Palasan, Valenzuela City; and
Barangays 180, 185 and 187 in Pasay City.

Floods in Pasay City were knee-deep, the NDCC report
said.
In Pasig City, 20 families or 100 people in Santolan village
were evacuated to Santolan Elementary School.

In Marikina City, 75 families or 373 people were evacuated
to Malanday Elementary School. Malanday village was not
passable to all types of vehicles due to flooding, one meter
deep.

In Muntinlupa City, four families or 20 people were
evacuated to the village's covered court.

In Rizal province, 260 families in Banaba and Sta. Ana
village in San Mateo town were affected due to the flooding.

Meanwhile, a landslide occurred in Sangay town in
Camarines Sur at 5 p.m. Friday, but no damage or casualty
was reported.
The extreme effects of the two tropical cyclones are deaths due to massive flooding and landslides brought about by
continuous rain. Ondoy flooded Metro Manila and nearby provinces
The amount of rainfall recorded at the PAGASA Port Area Station in Manila from 1993 to 2008 showed July as the
wettest month followed by August, September, October and June. This is the same pattern as was observed from
1993 to 2003.
6
(Figure 2)
According to the PAGASA Science Garden Station in Quezon City, Ondoy poured 455 millimeters of rain for 24
hours straight last September 26, 2009
7
. This 24-hour downpour on September
26, 2009 is almost one-and-a-half times the historical average for 1993-2008 for
the entire month of September (364 mm). In fact, the September 26, 2009
rainfall exceeded all averages for an entire month, except for July (459 mm).
Objectively, this would have been very difficult for our PAGASA scientists, who I
am sure are doing their best, to have foreseen. And who again were the two
congressmen who were responsible for delaying the purchase of the Doppler
radar systems needed by PAGASA?
TYPHOON ONDOY in the PHILIPPINES
PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/
15th cyclone to entered eastern Luzon from the Pacific ocean, September 27, 2009 Saturday afternoon.
85 kph with the gustinness of 100 kph
In 6 hours Metro Manila acquired a months worth of rainfall. Surpassing the record high from the June 1967
flooding, Ondoy set a new historic calamity in the region.
Over 26 regions submerged under water
Almost 500,000 people affected as of September 28, 2009
Death tolls are rising as of September 28, 2009; 140 were reported dead.
32 reported missing; Injuries are rising.
MONDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2009 22:01
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chief, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, said a total of 140 people
have been killed due to Typhoon Ondoy, and 32 are still reported missing.
Damage in Metro Manila reached P50 million, DPWH estimates showed.
Other areas hardest hit by the typhoon are Region 1 with the initial cost damage of P23.6 million; Cordillera Administrative
Region, P 23.3 million; Region 2, P38.1 million; Region 3, P50 million; Region 4-A, P30 million; Region 4-B, P30 million;
and Region 5, P33 million.
Ondoy affected more regions than Pepeng. Aside from the whole of Luzon, Ondoy also affected Regions VI, IX,
XII and ARMM.
8
Pepeng affected Luzon except Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), and Region VI.
While Ondoy affected more regions than Pepeng, Pepeng affected 13.1% or 5,486 of our barangays
9
compared to
4.7% or 1,987 barangays by Ondoy. The three regions with the highest proportion of barangays affected
by Ondoy were Region IV-A (26.0%), Region III (18.6%) and NCR (13.9%). On the other hand, Region I (73.7%),
CAR (63.3%) and Region II (43.2%) are the three regions most affected
by Pepeng. (Figure 3)
In terms of affected population
10
, Ondoy affected 5.6% or 4,929,382 persons
while Pepeng affected 5.1% or 4,478,284 persons. The regions with the highest
proportion of the population affected were Region IV-A (25.7%), Region III
(9.1%) and NCR (8.3%) by Ondoy, and Region I (46.5%), CAR (28.2%) and
Region II (16.4%) by Pepeng. (Figure 4)
Casualties
Ondoy and Pepeng left almost a thousand deaths with 84 still missing. CAR (350, 34 missing) recorded the highest
death incidence, mainly due to landslides, followed by NCR (241) and Region IV-A (161, 20 missing). (Figure 5)
Damaged Houses and Schools
Ondoy and Pepeng together damaged 212,918 houses most of which were in
Region IV-A (90,482) followed by NCR (65,521), Region I (25,437), Region II
(18,502) and CAR (8,186). (Figure 6)
Ondoy damaged a total of 1,382 schools mostly in Region IV-A (502), in Region
III (357) and in NCR (348). Meanwhile, Pepeng destroyed 1,453 schools
mostly in Region I with 708, Region V (289), and CAR (230).
(Figure 7)
Cost of Damages
The combined cost of damages brought about by the two tropical cyclones
reached Php 38 billion of which a little over Php 11 billion came
from Ondoy and Php 27 billion from Pepeng. Going back to the 20 costliest TC
from 1947 to 2006 that hit the Philippines, Pepeng and Ondoy have
unseated Ruping and Rosing as the two costliest TC in the Philippines
11
,
with Pepeng, by far, the worst! (Table 5 and Table 6)
By region, Region III suffered the most with 32.2 percent of the total cost of
damage followed by Region I (31.5 %), Region II (12.2%) and CAR (10.3%). (Table 5)
Damage to infrastructure, i.e., roads and bridges, flood control structures, health facilities and schools, was estimated
by NDCC at Php 11.1 billion. Regions I and III absorbed the highest cost of damage with 27.7% and 24.8%,
respectively, followed by CAR (17.2%). (Figure 8)
Damage to agriculture, i.e., agricultural crops, livestocks, fisheries and agricultural facilities, was estimated at Php
27.2 billion. Region III was worst hit with 35.3 percent of the total damage followed by Region I (33.1%) and
Region II (15.2%). (Figure 9)
With Php 23.6 billion damages in Agriculture and Fisheries as reported in the NDCC Situation Report as of
November 5, 2009, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in nominal terms may be reduced by 0.2
percentage point in the 3rd quarter of 2009 and 0.6 percentage point in the 4th quarter of 2009. (Table 7)
Leptospirosis Incidence

One disease that spread after the massive flood brought by Ondoy and Pepeng was Leptospirosis. Cumulative
admission in 15 hospitals in Metro Manila between October 1 and November 3, 2009 climbed to 2,272 with 174 deaths
12
,
which, is five times the incidence in all of 2008, and according to the Department of Health (DOH), is among the highest in
the world!
13
. It may be noticed that majority of the victims were males. (Table 8)
The year about to end has been very challenging indeed. But as we have resiliently shown in the past, tayong mga Pinoy,
marunong dumiskarte sa buhay. Amidst all that happened, we never fail to SMILE! We will surely pick up the pieces and
life will go on!

But Ondoy and Pepeng should wake all of us up from our deep slumber. Let us learn to consider well-researched
recommendations on the development path we should follow; let us acknowledge the power of statistics in informing our
decisions; let us learn lessons from our mistakes; and let not politics of self-interest stand in the way of PAGASA so that it
can do what it needs to do for our security, for our protection from disasters caused by our abuse of our environment and
natural resources.
Next month, our Filipino athletes will be competing in the 25th South East Asian Games in Laos. I seriously think
that Aling Dionisia will be a good cheerleader for them and I hope Pacman will send her, that is, if she can free herself from
her accumulating acting and dancing commitments. Who would have thought that Aling Dionisia would be more popular
than most of us? All you moneyed customers of Vicki Belo, eat your hearts out! Meanwhile, let us pray for the safety of our
athletes and may the trials we have just been through inspire them to do their best and win as many gold as they can! Go
Team Pilipinas!

Farm damage: P500 million
Damage to the agriculture sector has climbed to P510 million, according to Department of Agriculture (DA) figures.
The biggest damage was sustained by the rice sector, as around P490 million worth of palay planted on some 37,000
hectares of farmlands were lost to the floods. Also damaged were P18 million worth of high-value commercial crops and
P1.2 million worth of mangoes.
Provinces affected were Cagayan, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite,
Laguna, Quezon and Rizal.
. ONDOY (Ketsana) September 30 - October 11, 2009 11.121
Unprepared Government
The flood took everybody by surprise, even the Philippine Government and the local government
units as well. In the past, the country was used to taking care of one city or two or a province or two
whenever a calamity such as this arises. But, with Tropical Storm Ondoy, more than 10 cities are
affected and more than 5 provinces were devastated as well. The government's resources were just
not enough to quickly deliver emergency measures or even rescue all the people who were
stranded. Even until now, some people are still on top of their roofs while others still do not have
any food to eat or water to drink.
The Bayanihan Spirit
Through all these, it is encouraging to see the Filipino's bayanihan (community) spirit rising again.
Filipinos who were not affected by the flood rushed to the aid of their countrymen to help them.
Private citizens volunteered the use of their rubber boats to save those who were stranded in the
flood. Donations, in cash or in kind, are pouring from all over the country and even abroad to help
out those in need. Individuals, private citizens became unsung heroes for their selfless acts to save
their countrymen (see link). What the government lacked in terms of manpower and resources, the
Filipinos are making up by contributing whatever they can. These are the times when you can
really see how Filipinos (here and abroad) help each other in times of need. Even as I write and
update this hub, Filipino communities from all over the world are mobilizing to give donations and
aids to their countrymen.
Nabuo ang Bagyong Ketsana (Pagtatalagang pandaigdig: 0916, pagtatalaga ng JTWC: 17W, panglan
ng PAGASA: Ondoy) noong 23 Setyembre 2009, mga 860 km (535 mi) sa hilagang-kanluran ng Palau. Noong 26
Setyembre 2009, ang bagyong si Ondoy ay nagdulot ng malakas na pagbuhos ng ulan sa kalakhang Maynila at
mga kalapit na lalawigan. Sa loob ng siyam oras, nagbaha sa iba't ibang lugar at nagbunga ito ng pagkasawi ng 288
katao at pagkawala ng tahanan ng maraming Pilipino. Pagkatapos manalasa sa Pilipinas, dumaan ito
sa Biyetnam, Kambodiya at Laos at nagdala ito ng malaking pinsala sa mga bansang yaon.

Nabuo 23 Setyembre 2009
Naparam 30 Setyembre 2009
Pinakamalakas
140 km/h (85 mph) (10-minute sustained)
165 km/h (105 mph) (1-minute sustained)
na hangin
Pinakamababang
presyon
960 hPa (mbar)
Mga nasawi 687 direkta, 37 nawawala.
Mga nasalanta $1.074 bilyon (2009 USD)
Mga apektadong
pook
Pilipinas, Tsina,Biyetnam, Laos,Kambodya, Taylandiya.
Kabahagi ng
Panahon ng bagyo sa hilagang-kanlurang
Pasipiko ng 2009

Mga pinsala dulot ng Bagyong Ondoy sa
Pilipinas
[itago]Talaan ng NDCC
[1]

Rehiyon Nasawi

Rehiyon III 47

Rehiyon IV-A 103

NCR 135

CAR 3

Kabuuang bilang 288

[itago]Mga napinsala
[1]


Halaga

Agrikultura
PhP3,216,782,587.83
($68,087,260.80)
Imprastraktura
PhP1,590,774,865.00
($33,670,756.46)
Kabuuang
napinsala
[2]

PhP4,807,557,452.83
($101,758,017.26)


Typhoon Ondoy Chooses No One
The rain that was brought by the typhoon Ondoy surpassed all the rain for the whole month of September in the
previous years. This was the reason why the water went up as high as the chest level after a short span of time. I
cant help but cry every time I watch the news, seeing what this calamity had brought to my fellow countrymen. A lot
of properties such as houses, vehicles, business establishment were destroyed and more than anything many lives
were lost.
Typhoon Ondoy proves again that when calamity strikes it chooses no one, you may be rich or poor, famous or not,
nobody is spared. There were many celebrities that were affected by this typhoon some of which were Cristine
Reyes,Jean Garcia and daughter Jennica Garcia, Zoren Legaspi and wife Carmina Villaroel with their
twins Maverick and Cassandra, Rhian Ramos, Raymart Santiago and wife Claudine Barreto, and Galdys
Reyes. They were devastated for experiencing this in their lives. All their hard works were put in vain only after that
fateful day. If they were in misery what more those ordinary people who had nothing left, everything were washed
out. Whats worst is that after the floods have subsided, many lifeless bodies were uncovered and bigger problems
were starting to take place.
Nobody Saw It Coming
A thing about heavy rains is that everyone expects it to stop anytime soon. That is how I felt that Saturday morning
when the rain started at 10am, Tropical Storm Ondoy(Ketsana) is expected to pass through our archipelago -- pass
through being the operative phrase. A day later Im reminded of the funny saying -- when you assume, u make an
ass out of u and me . In the Philippines we have a similar saying that goes -- "maraming namamatay sa maling
akala " -- "many die from wrong assumptions". Sadly, everyone assumed that this storm was just passing through.
A tropical storm over here is characterized by strong winds and intermittent rain fall, sometimes weak, sometiimes
strong but seldom devastating Storms are a nuisance at best here, a damper on the plans made etc. By 11am the
rain has gone on unabated and classes in schools were suspended. The downpour did not stop it just got stronger, I
already knew that some areas in and around Metro Manila would be flooded by now but then I also felt that it wont
be long now and the rain will stop. I had a birthday party to go to that night, I am all set and looking forward to it. By
2pm I started getting worried, Two of my nieces Yssa and Roxy attended the same college and they still haven't
returned home after being dismissed at 11am. When I finally got hold of them on the cell, they sounded a bit scared,
the flood waters have risen up to their knees. The rain is as strong as ever if not more and it has gone on for four
hours now. It will go on for two more. Six hours of the heaviest rainfall this side of the earth has ever seen in 40
years.
My nieces got home soaked to the skin by 7.30pm shaken and scared but just thankful to get home, remember they
were dismissed at 11am? They walked a considerable distance to get to the metro rail (the long long way back).
when they got there the queue to get to the train stretched for miles, they had to wait three hours to get their ticket
and finally board the train another train ride awaits them at the other end and another long walk to get to our house.
But, and this is the big but, they got home safe, several others were not so lucky.
What I have put together here are some of the images from this harrowing day. I will let the images do the talking.
Some experts claim that the volume of floods this time surpassed that of Katrina. Three days later, we are all trying
to get hold of friends and family to check if theyre ok and we are thanking the heavens that we were somehow
spared.
One of our favorite writers here in Hubpages, Cris A lives in the hardest-hit part of the metropolis, in Marikina.I
haven't been able to reach him till now but I haven't stopped praying for his safety either.
Tropical Storm "Ketsana," locally known as "Ondoy," swept across metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon on
Saturday, September 26, 2009, and brought a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours. The waters rose so fast that
people living in low lying areas were caught unaware and had to stay on the roofs of their houses to avoid being
swept away by the floods. At least 140 died from the storm, and more than 450,000 people have been displaced and
have sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation shelters.
Electricity has been cut in submerged areas for safety reasons; generators and water systems have been damaged by
floodwater as well. Public and private infrastructure and property as well as agriculture have been destroyed or
damaged.
In the evacuation centers, cramped conditions and limited water and sanitation facilities pose the risk of worsening
health conditions. Nutrition is also a concern, given the irregular provision of instant food products.