As we face the difficult task of recovering and rebuilding from the devastation caused by Typhoon “Pablo” in Mindanao, we ought to revisit the tragedies of the past and relearn the lessons we seem to never learn: Community awareness and action in disaster risk reduction, sound development planning and the political will to make things happen can make the difference in saving lives and building a safe and resilient community.
Central Luzon bore the brunt of Typhoon “Gener” and heavy monsoon rains early this month, which resulted in agricultural losses estimated at P1.18 billion in 27 provinces in Luzon and the Visayas, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Don’t let the sun’s appearance make you lower your guard. An active low pressure area (LPA) spotted off Central Luzon may intensify into a storm and enter the country’s territory by Monday, while the southwest monsoon will continue to bring rains over several provinces, the state weather bureau said Saturday.
Nearly 9,000 farmers whose crops were destroyed by last week’s torrential monsoon rains stand to get P100 million in insurance payments from the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).
People in Pangasinan have been blaming the floods in some towns in the province on the release of water from San Roque Dam as Typhoon “Gener” passed through in late July and the southwest monsoon dumped rains for three days earlier this week.
More than half of fatalities from the rains spawned by typhoon Gener combined with the southwest monsoon were due to drowning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.
Four dams in Luzon opened their gates Sunday to prevent water levels from breaching their full capacity and to avert possible damage on the facilities.
Two more barangays (village) in Valenzuela City have been put under a state of calamity on Sunday as flooding continued to plague parts of the city.
For its erratic bursts of rain and wind and generally fickle nature, the “bipolar” weather disturbance known as Typhoon “Gener” has become the butt of online jokes.
Typhoon “Gener” left the country early Friday, leaving at least 39 people dead and forcing almost 200,000 people from their homes in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.
President Benigno Aquino on Thursday said he wanted the weather bureau and disaster response agencies to use layman’s terms when giving periodic updates during inclement weather.
Storm signals have gone down, except in Batanes province, but don’t leave home without an umbrella or raincoat just yet.
Public works officials, sanitation workers, and environmentalists could only shake their heads as the storm surge triggered by Tropical Storm “Gener” turned the recently repaired Manila Bay seawall into a dump.
