The tragedy unforgettably left emotional scars to Metro Manila residents. People were surprised, unsuspecting and unprepared for a 6 hour torrential rainfall which inundated the whole Metro Manila. Love ones, properties, livelihood, opportunities were gone. Trauma pervades those who were severely affected. Some were displaced permanently, especially those who are under makeshift roofs.
Pasig-Marikina River, Mangahan Floodway and Laguna Lake are silted. There is no solution yet to underprivileged bank dwellers, who were blamed as one of the reasons for extensive flood, as they block the free flow of flood waters. Marikina City Government continues to decorate barges as passageway across the river as part of their beautification program for their river park. There is no dredging in the upper Marikina River to increase the capacity. Structural interventions are not yet in place. EFCOS which failed to deliver valuable information during the calamity is now eyed by different agencies, offering bright schemes and innovations to revive or overhaul the whole system. (What a way to impress). Even the academe may be tapped to draw out their long stocked modeling software to forecast the behavior of the flood. La Niña is gaining strength expected to peak in the last quarter of the year while experienced meteorologists left and were sacked. Meanwhile ordinary people are still complacent after so many months of no flood days.
Still vulnerability is high for the residents of Metro-Manila. There are still big uncertainties. Preparations are sufficiently far behind for calamity with intensity as Ondoy. We hope it will not come so soon.
As vulnerable people, with little or no defense, there is only One Place where we can take refuge. When we acknowledge our weaknesses that is the time we spend time on our knees and seek protection and provision from Someone greater and powerful than us. The government is not powerful enough, even my neighbors, and city mayors, and barangay officials. There is only one greater and more powerful above all, the creator of universe and the controller of nature. God. Do you trust Him?
