Dam officials flooded with lawsuits

For something called “The River of Dreams,” the Agno River killed a lot of them.

As hectares of agricultural lands are now showing ripples of flood waters in northern Philippines, dam managers are taking the heat for the widespread flooding brought by the return of typhoon Parma.

Similar to the aftermath of Parma’s predecessor, typhoon Ketsana, residents in the affected areas are blaming dam spillage as the cause of the vast flooding that damaged P7.17 billion-worth of properties and claimed 311 lives.

Saving your wheels from water

If the recent floods have taught us anything, it’s the fact that nothing beats being prepared. The rains are inevitable and so is the watery onslaught of the rising flood waters. By now, everyone has a working knowledge of areas that will likely turn into a metropolitan-sized swimming pools. Should you still end up living in these places, better brace for impact. You may be powerless to stem the deluge, but you can still do something.

Next to a metal-mangling smash-up, the most horrible thing that could happen to any motorist right now is ending up with a flood-damaged vehicle. Apart from the astronomical car repair bills, there’s the niggling thought that your car will never be the same again once it comes back from the shop. To save a lot of us from further anxiety, Top Gear Philippines has come up with a dozen things that car owners should do in a deluge. Some tips are practical, including raising your car on jacks, tying the car down with cables or wrapping the tailpipe in plastic so water won’t enter through the exhaust. Others tips require more technical know-how such as removing the car’s ECU and accessing the throttle body and sealing the air intake hose. If you are not familiar with these steps, by all means, try to study them while the skies are clear.

[Source: Top Gear Philippines]

How much did Ketsana cost?

Several weeks have already gone after Ketsana dumped its record-breaking rainfall in Manila, and thousands of residents haven’t stood up yet from the muddy aftermath of the disruptive storm.

The country’s National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has recently released a report on the estimated damages that the metro-wide flooding caused. The report reveals  that P 3.9 billion worth of infrastructure and P6.7 billion worth of agricultural resources were lost in the Ketsana aftermath.

The report, however, was undermined by an independent study that calculated the economic losses based on the combined government figures given by the Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, and  other related statistical reports. In a GMA7 report, it was assessed that Ketsana blew up as much as P23 billion ($500 M USD), a strong implication that the government is miscalculating, if not underestimating, the havoc wreaked by Ketsana.

Rice imports rise after Ondoy

Following two devastating typhoons that destroyed farmlands and roads and killed over 650 people, the Philippines ordered the importation of 250,000 tons of rice on Monday.

Announcing a tender on October 30 for the rice shipment, the country’s National Food Authority wanted the delivery between January and April. Arthur Yap, Agriculture secretary, said that although the two storms caused some 11 billion pesos of damage on crops, he said that there is no shortage of rice. Most of the rice will come from Vietnam as part of an intergovernmental deal. The Philippines is eyeing to purchase about 2 million tons of the grain for its 2010 needs after the losses caused by the two typhoons. The figure is up by 13% as compared to this year’s rice figure, which is at 1.775 million tons.

Elevation is no Guarantee for Protection in Metro Manila

It’s almost instinct that when storms occur, people will always head for higher ground.  In Metro Manila, where exactly is higher ground?

Much of the Philippines’ premier urban area is actually built on a sprawling flood plain, and on the surface, much of the ground in its 16 cities and lone municipality has been leveled or flattened to accommodate extensive urban development. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) website, Metro Manila “is relatively flat of about 0.81% to very gently sloping at 3.17%.”

Let’s take a short trip around some parts of Metro Manila and check out what’s up (literally) and what’s not:

Health Officials Warn of Disease Outbreak

The Philippines has issued warning over the rapid spread of epidemics among the flood victims poorly crammed in improvised evacuation centers after the threatening floods. The country fears that disease outbreaks like swine flu, diarrhea and other bacterial disease such as leptospirosis would hasten in the course of Ondoy’s aftermath, aggravating the victims’ condition.
It has been estimated that 340,000 evacuees crowded the makeshift centers, and the government is uncertain where to put those homeless after the tragedy. International agencies have upped their efforts to help the flood victims.

RP Health Secretary Francisco Duque says, “Epidemic potential in some areas is very, very high.” As reflected upon the situation in a camp in Marilao where numerous cases of diarrhea have been detected, Duque said that such scenario could mean more directives to help protect the victims from the so-called WILD diseases–waterborne infectious diseases, influenza, leptospirosis and dengue.

Government Officials Urge Critics to Stop Politicking During Calamity

Malacañang has appealed to critics to set aside politics as the nation struggles to recover from the wrath brought forth by the storms Ondoy and Pepeng.  House Speaker Prospero Nograles has pleaded government allies to observe moratorium on political intrigues and focus on noble cooperation in country’s relief efforts. This is in line with criticisms relating to abominable campaigners taking advantage of the calamity fund.

As senators dread the thought of unprincipled local officials exploiting the country under the state of calamity by drawing off funds into their 2010 campaign, the government has made a statement answering their plea concerning unscrupulous political motives.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said, “We have to give assumption of regularity in the handling of this one and we could only suggest we should not inject politics here. It should not be done that way.”

Critics of the administration have been doubtful of its decision to include provinces and cities in the presidential declaration even though they were not affected by the storms. Opposition lawmakers have shown suspicion over Congress’ decision to augment the nation’s calamity budget, adding P10 billion to RP’s depleting calamity fund. They have demanded for an explanation of as to how the P2 billion was suddenly down to P24 million before they show support for the P10-billion supplemental budget.

To answer their call, Ermita explained that the unaffected regions were included so as to make local government officials prepared when a disaster strikes. In addition, Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo told media that the unaffected areas were included as they were persuaded to offer monetary assistance to poor cities hit by the storms.

Ermita emphasized that through the state of national calamity, the administration safeguarded the public from problems including hoarding. He assured the nation that the fund is “properly handled” by the National Disaster Coordination Council (NDCC) and local government units. He also stressed that the Commission on Audit (COA) “is very much on the ground to make sure (the) expenses are proper.”

[Credits: GMA News.TV, Inquirer.net]

Melor hits Japan

(Melor photo: NASA)

Melor ravages Japan What started as a tropical depression, typhoon Melor gained strength and ravaged Japan with strong winds and heavy rainfall, leaving two people dead and properties damaged.

The storm that hit landfall yesterday morning, October 8, claimed the lives of a 54-year-old newspaper delivery man in Wakayama, who ran into a fallen tree, and a 69-year-old man from Saitama, who was crushed by a tree. Melor also injured some 64 people.

Despite destroying infrastructure, decapitating power lines, stalling transportation and flooding roads in western and northern Japan, Melor was not as powerful as previously feared by meteorologists.

“Still, initial damage reports suggested the typhoon, while powerful, did not cause the type of widespread devastation initially feared,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Pangasinan Suffers Heavy Flooding

After two weeks since Ondoy struck, it seems like it’s deja vu all over again for the residents of Pangasinan. Typhoon Pepeng’s (international name: Parma) prolonged stay has caused flooding in several cities and municipalities in the region. A total of 17 towns were affected in Pangasinan. It is estimated that 90 percent of Pangasinan is now under water. Another culprit was the release of water from the nearby San Roque Dam. Four other dams also released water last Thursday in the wake of Pepeng. Residents are now appealing for immediate rescue as some of them are now on the rooftops of their submerged houses. Because of the severe flooding, access to Pangasinan via roads and bridges has become very difficult.  There were also reported damage to crops and infrastructure amounting to hundreds of millions in pesos. As of 8:30AM today, buses full of people requiring rescue were stranded in Rosales, Pangasinan not far from an SM mall.

After Floods, Rolling Darkness

Two weeks after Ondoy’s onslaught, most Manila residents are suddenly in the dark, literally. Last Wednesday, a transformer belonging to a substation of the National Grid Corporation in Taytay, Rizal caught fire. This greatly affected the power supply in several areas in and around Manila including Rizal, Pasig, Cainta, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Antipolo, and Quezon City. Most of the aforementioned areas are still reeling from the devastating flood waters brought by Ondoy. Late yesterday evening, the affected areas started experiencing 3-hour blackouts.  Meralco is working on restoring power to these areas but the power distribution company said there may be more blackouts in the next few days during the evenings.

Besides private residences, commercial establishments such as SM Megamall was affected by power outages a few hours ago, halting the operation of its escalators and elevators. The MRT trains were also affected. Operations of the busy rail transport system had to be shut down because of intermittent power supply.