When it floods in…Manila. It is no joke.
I know this may sound stagy for all those people who would have to deal with floods almost every rainy season but last night was actually my first time to get drenched in flood water. It was horrible, seeing the garbage floating and the roaches crawling and smelling the stench of flood water mix with the canal (this is what happens when you're well aware w/ diseases you may get). It was bad for me just with one experience. How much more for those people who are living with this when it rains?!
I just went to Faura yesterday to meet a friend and did not expect that the rain will cause that much flood. When we went out of Robinsons, a very long line of people were trying to get a ride and there were only a few jeepneys in sight. The padyak driver saw this as an opportunity to ask a huge fare with just a few blocks because it was already flooded outside the mall. It was just ankle deep and increased as I approached the P. Gil LRT. I did not know what mode of transportation I should use as the traffic was really bad and the demand for transportation was really high. The padyaks, jeepneys and motorcycles were in the middle of the cross-section and the buses and other vehicles were going the opposite direction. It was really noisy because of the honks and as the drivers screamed and debated on who should be removed from the already congested cross-section. I was stuck in another padyak in the middle of P. Gil for 30 minutes. When I finally got through that flood water and was about to ride a jeepney to Gudalupe MRT, plak a number of people were stranded waiting for a jeepney. So I had no choice but to walk a few streets to get to another terminal and alas had my very first descent in flood water which reached far till my cycling shorts. I’ve walked from one terminal to another to get a ride. There were no taxis in sight, if there were they were occupied. While walking in the flood I met a group of people who were also headed in the same destination. So we helped each other (just like in a movie plot—surreal!). We’ve walked really far to get a jeepney ride. It got really cold as the wind blew stronger. I just wanted to get home. Finally, a jeep. Weirdly enough with 8 empty seats. We even got stranded in the riles pathway, good thing the driver was alert and pulled back. We got into another jeepney and the gentlemen were very nice to let us sit. After one long ride I’ve reached the Gudalupe MRT station shivering. Another jeepney ride in Aurora Blvd and I finally got home. I was so relieved!
It basically took me 6 hours to commute from Pedro Gil to Cubao. Please don’t blame me for not having waited till the rain stopped because I am the type of person who hates waiting and doing nothing. I believe that it is better to die doing something than having not tried at all. I really wanted to get home as I had a job the next day. Upon my reflection, I got disappointed with the lack of information dissemination we have in the Metro. I mean, we have a lot of agencies and bureaus but why are so many people misinformed or not informed at all? While we were traversing Tejeron, some drivers who passed us would discourage the drivers to not go on as we will be stuck as we approach this or that road. So this information may have dissuaded the other drivers who were supposed to still travel last night. (I suggest drivers should also have AM radios, diba?) There was extreme dichotomy as some places were not flooded or traffic at all but no public transportation were available that’s why a lot of people were walking in the flood. I think barangay officials should coordinate with an agency that is supposed to be looking after the flood levels in areas so that they can give a warning or precaution. Different agencies related to weather, transportation whether land, air or sea, disasters and policy-makers should be well-coordinated and preemptive. There should be plan A, B or C. In that long travel, I honestly did not see a traffic enforcer or someone from MMDA assisting the people. Everyone was trying to be their own hero. Flooding is a major problem in a country like ours where there's a rainy season and garbage stuck in the canals (hello?!!). Plus we don’t have good-working sewers where flood waters can go or be stocked until they get absorbed by the ground. We’ve already experienced Ondoy, I hope we’ve learned from this tragic loss.
I wish that offices can also have updates about the weather outside their companies so that they can give warnings or traffic updates to their employees before they head out. I really feel for those who commute everyday from home to work and back and forth and would experience this trouble. Of course, also the students who get hassled by not having given an early storm or bad weather warning and ending up going to school. We can’t blame PAGASA, it is so difficult to predict the weather. It’s not just the outdated instruments or gadgets. It is the weather itself that can’t make up its mind. What I believe should be done here is for all of us to help each other through effective information diffusion or communication whether it would be through news, text or social networking sites. A cooperative effort among the people and the leaders and a well-planned disaster risk management prior to disasters taking place is what I humbly suggest.
Disclaimer: I am obviously not a professional-all-knowing-cure-for-all person. These are just my two cents from a previous experience.