The Four-eyed Journal » Typhoon Ondoy

Super Typhoon Juan (Megi): Opportunity & Tests - A chance for government to makeup for past blunders

jhay — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:10:34 +0000

As of this writing, Northern Luzon is being battered by Super Typhoon Juan (MEGI), raising Storm Signal No 4, the highest level, in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan. Weather experts have said that Juan is comparable to the super typhoon Rosing (Angela) which ravaged Southern Luzon, Bicol and Metro Manila back in November 1995.

However, the fear brought back by the memories of typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, Milenyo and other past storms that wreaked havoc and caused tragedies were not that strong today. There is relative calm in the past few days and even now as typhoon Juan is making its way across Luzon.

From where I sit, no one is in a panic yet, the Twitter stream I’m following is almost normal. Or maybe because Metro Manila and Southern Luzon has been spared by typhoon Juan? I would still say that there is calm and alertness. Which is better than panic and fear. All of this is due to the early warnings from the PAGASA and other concerned organizations, which made everyone in the areas to be affected by typhoon Juan pro-actively prepared.

PAGASA started a Twitter account which posted hourly updates on the storm’s progress and status. The weather agency even held more press conferences than before, giving as much information as they can that would be of help in the preparation for the coming super typhoon. From all these, reforms in PAGASA seems to have paid off. Though I’m not saying the agency’s previous chief was to blame for its blunders but that’s a different story altogether for another time.

The spotlight now is on the various emergency and rescue units, volunteers, NGOs, local government units and citizens in the affected areas. They too have taken a more pro-active approach to preparing for the worse that is to come. If the casualties and injuries, if there would be any, are much lower than in previous typhoon events, then congratulations to everyone. It proves that finally, we have learned from our past experiences and mistakes.

This would also be good for the Aquino Administration. After a series of blunders in handling emergency and crises situations like the bungled tour bus hostage rescue last August and how it handled the IIRC report, surviving super typhoon Juan with the least or zero casualties will give it a renewed face of confidence and trust in the eyes of public and the perhaps even the international community.

However, the test of super typhoon Juan has just reached its crucial part. We have to wait until everything has cleared and assessments are made before giving the government its final score. Hopefully, it would pass with flying colors.

The Awesome Relief Operations Volunteers of DLSUD

jhay — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:13:40 +0000

The relief operations of DLSU-D has scaled down after nearly four weeks of gathering relief goods and donations, repackaging them into family packs and delivering to affected areas mostly here in Cavite and in Taytay, Rizal.

In that span of time, the efforts of DLS-Health Science Institute and DLSU-Dasmariñas have reached out to nine barangays with a total of 3,592 families who were affected by destructive forces of typhoon Ondoy. On top of that, we’ve collected Php116,034.60 worth of cash donations from the generous students, families, alumni, friends and partners of the Lasallian community here in Cavite. A full and detailed report of which could be found here in the DLSUD website.

Of course, the relief operations would’ve have not been a great success if it were not for the brave, generous and kind volunteers, most of whom are students of DLSUD who dedicated their time, effort and persons in sorting, repacking and even braving the dangers that come with the distribution of the relief goods to the affected communities.

There were almost 300 volunteers who came to campus despite the lure of malling and leisure due to class suspensions, accompanied by faculty and alumni to push through with the relief operations. We even had help with the volunteers from the local chapter of KABTAAN Party-list.

There are too many too mention in this post so I’d just publish here the Volunteers’ registration log file from September 28 to October 1. The list is still incomplete and I’ll update it as soon as possible.

If you volunteered during the relief operations but your name is not in the list, please let me know through the comments form below.

Going back, they all deserve our thanks and gratitude for heeding the call of the times and becoming heroes in their own way, big or small.

Animo La Salle!

Thousands of families in Cavite affected by typhoon Ondoy

jhay — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:23:42 +0000

It’s because of insufficient media coverage that most people think that those in Central Luzon and Metro Manila were the only ones who suffered the wrath of typhoon Ondoy. With a much higher population density, meaning more people are living in particular area compared to others, and with prominent middle to upper class, star-studded villages in the Metro Manila hit by the floods, the public’s attention would undoubtedly be focused on it.

Unfortunately, the generous public’s resources and donations are seemingly focused only on Metro Manila. Here in Cavite, little has been reported that almost 80,000 families in the coastal towns of Kawit, Noveleta, Bacoor, Ternate and Cavite City have also been devasted by typhoon Ondoy.

Tragically, if there’s a sea of relief goods flowing into the affected areas and evacuation centers in the nation’s capital, there’s a shortage and slow delivery of help to the devastated families and communities in the Cavite towns I’ve mentioned.

I’ve come to know of this because I’m among the core volunteers that run the relief operations of DLSU-D and according to our own field inspections and ocular visits, Cavite has also suffered as much as Metro Manila.

Like in the town of Bacoor, which is a low-lying, coastal municipality 16 km south of Manila, neck-high floods has left nearly 2,500 families devastated in just two of the 73 barangays that make up the municipality. What’s more troubling is that according to the affected residents themselves, the local government has been very slow to provide them with the relief they so badly needed.

In Noveleta, a coastal town 26 km away from Manila, almost 3,000 families were devastated by typhoon Ondoy both by flooding and storm surges that caused the sea to swallow up much of the existing beaches and take away not only their houses but also their fish pens and fishing boats living them with nothing to depend on for a living.

It’s the same situation in Ternate were a barangay we’ve visited had lost all of their fish pens and entire houses when almost 500 meters of the coast was taken over by sea. We were told that there were more barangays that had taken a hit meaning more families were in need of help.

Sadly, we Lasallians from DLSUD could only do so much. We’ve been working very hard since last Monday and up to now, we’ve been able to provide relief goods to around 150 families in Dasmariñas. At present, we have almost 1,500 family packs on stock but after assessing the damages and families in need around Cavite, we’ve still got a long way to go.

That’s why we are still trying our best to reach out to the local community for donations, particularly for rice and canned goods because we have more than enough man power, student and faculty volunteers, to get the job done, but we need more resources to meet the demands of those devastated families in Cavite.

If you’d still like to help out, or know someone who would like to. Please get in touch with the Lasallian Community Development Office of De La Salle University – Dasmariñas through the following telephone numbers: (046) 416-4531 local 3068 (046) 416-4596 (direct line).

Donations of cash or in kind are very much welcome. We are prioritizing donations of rice & canned goods, food that they so urgently need. Of course, useful clothing and other basic commodities are also accepted. The families who will receive such help from you would be so grateful for your kind generosity.

DLSUD Launches relief operations for the victims of typhoon Ondoy

jhay — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:13:13 +0000

There’s little need for me to tell what has happened in the aftermath of Ondoy’s rampage through Luzon and Metro Manila. The mainstream media, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, blogs and online forums are flooded (no pun intended) with news, stories, videos, photos and commentaries about the ravages of Ondoy.

A quick round-up from my reading list, Gail has experienced the worst flood in their entire lifetime, Ade felt like he has been in hell and made it back safe and in one piece, Mikko has shared a good list of updates and ways to help out the victims of Ondoy and here’s a more comprehensive list powered by Google Spreadsheets courtesy of Jayvee. Gibbs Cadiz is among the lucky ones who happen to live on the floor high enough to escape the merciless flood waters that has ravaged the nation’s capital.

It’s something we residents of upland Cavite are thankful about. We live on a place that is too high to see any life and property threatening flood. Though if ever we experience such, it would only mean that the entire Metro Manila has been swallowed up by the sea! Hopefully, it would never come to that.

But we’re not just thankful we were not that severely affected by typhoon Ondoy, we like to view it as an opportunity to extend our helping hands and join in the efforts of assisting our brethren who have suffered the most because of Ondoy.

That’s why we Lasallians from DLSU-Dasmariñas have begun to mobilize our resources to gather relief goods and other donations to aid the victims of typhoon Ondoy.

Starting tomorrow, we would be accepting donations mainly of the following:

Medicines
Food (canned goods, instant noodles, rice, etc)
Useful clothing
Blankets

So if you’d like to do your share and you live in the towns of Dasmariñas, Silang, Imus, Tagaytay, GMA, Gen. Trias, Trece Martirez and other nearby towns, do drop by DLSUD campus.

We are accepting your donations at the Lasallian Community Development Office, located on the 2nd Floor, SBC Building, East Campus of DLSUD. The office would be open from 8am to 5pm and volunteers who would like to help out in the sorting and repacking of the relief goods are most welcome. You could get in touch via the telephone numbers:(046) 416-4531 local 3068 (046) 416-4596 (direct line).

The storms and floods may destroy our houses, flood our cities and wreak havoc among our people. But out of this tragedy, the spirit of endurance, hope and unity will keep us all safe and enable us to survive.

God Bless the Filipino people!