a Blog Action Day 2009 post, with Renzie Baluyut. After being hit by Typhoon Ondoy/International Storm Ketsana, Metro Manila has already moved on, albeit begrudgingly. What can you do when a massive flood hits the city, really? As soon as the waters subsided, we all just picked up the pieces and got back to work. […]
Tag: Life in Metro Manila
Online Chatter on Philippine Typhoon Ondoy, part two
Share This Post: monitoring chatter on Facebook once more, through my friends’ and contacts’ status updates, with Renzie Baluyut.
For a list of rescue hotlines, links and resources, please click this link.
A couple of days back, I posted a transcript of sorts- a compilation of status updates on Facebook as my friends, colleagues and contacts sent out all kinds of messages related to the Typhoon Ondoy / International Storm Ketsana rescue and relief efforts.
It had been three days since Typhoon Ondoy / International Storm Ketsana had hit the Philippines. This was the worst incident of flooding seen by Metro Manila in 42 years. More than a month’s worth of rain crashed down on the city in just a relatively short span of 12 hours.
The damage was so bad- mainly because everyone was caught completely unaware, thinking it was just another rainy weekend.
Drainage in Metro Manila had already been terribly neglected to begin with- in fact, certain areas were already generally expected to flood up, even with the most regular of rainy days.
But with the sheer volume of rainwater, areas that never used to flood up at all suddenly found themselves sinking fast, as all that rain just kept pouring in at an alarming rate. By mid-afternoon, 80% of Metro Manila was submerged in murky floodwater.
More pictures of the September 26 flooding can be seen here on a previous post of mine.
As of this writing, there are at least 240 dead, some 100,000 displaced, and at least 2 million people affected across 25 provinces, including Metro Manila and Rizal.
Relief and rescue operations have been going on for a couple of days now. For Filipinos like myself who find themselves online the entire time, Facebook had been a steady stream of information as stories of selflessness and heroism, and all sorts of pictures and video have been coming in.
Here’s a compilation of status updates I got from some of my friends and colleagues- these were little messages taken from a 12-hour period, between 3PM of Sept 29 (Tuesday) to about 3AM the next day (Wednesday, Sept 30).
Despite stories of opportunists, looters, corruption, politicking, grandstanding, and even rumors of crocodiles lurking in the floodwaters, what I find heartwarming is the fact that ordinary Filipinos have banded together to aid in rescue and relief operations, passing on information and updates, giving (and doing) what they can, and encouraging so many more to join in.
Even those who have been hard hit are reaching out to those who have been hit even harder.
And so, the cleaning up and the rebuilding goes on. Hopefully, this post gives you a better idea of what’s been going on in the Philippines through the messages of various people all over Metro Manila as they help out with the the survivors of Typhoon Ondoy / International Storm Ketsana.
Around 3:00 PM (GMT +8:00) Sept 29
From Paolo Marinduque:
HONDA & NISSAN OFFERS FREE TOWING! 09228504452 -09224452242 -09228997959. (reposted from a friend)
From Jonas Diego:
says If you know of overpricing for meds/basic goods DTI hotline at 751-3330. Save receipts as evidence! http://plurk.com/p/23e0s3
From Ricky Baizas:
BULACAN HAS NOT YET RECEIVED RELIEF GOODS FROM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, So that we can help our fellow Filipinos there in BULACAN, you can send your donations in cash but PREFERABLY IN KIND at… #1 MAY ST. CONGRESSIONAL VILLAGE PRO…JECT 8, QUEZON CITY. You can reach my staff through contact nos. 02-9274776/ 09212611308/ 09291816111.
From Leah Camilla R. Besa-Jimenez:
For International Donors, go straight to Red Cross PH through Paypal http://bit.ly/3PKdUM. Here are other sites where you can also easily donate http://bit.ly/wDbJj , http://bit.ly/2OzLZ0 , http://bit.ly/4bjCsW and MyAyala http://bit.ly/3zH5Tu . Please repost and retweet.
From Jenn Manigao:
Looks like Tropical Storm Parma and Tropical Depression 18 will spare the Philippines this week. Will check again tomorrow. Here are the links: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp200919_5day.html#a_topad
From Jane Tenefrancia Uymatiao:
Repost from Noelle: VICTORY ORTIGAS UPDATE: We need trucks, vans, vehicles to help deploy relief goods! (Particularly to Canyogan, Pasig) Please call 631-1212.
From Tracy Abad:
Brg PALASAN in Valenzuela is in need of DONATIONS! coordinate with brgy capt. EDDIE Lzada 09178970187 – They’ve been asking for help since saturday and they were DENIED of HELP by their own MAYOR because of political issues. Please HELP! (from Soki)
From Charo Limaco:
Repost: Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health is looking for areas that needmedical assistance. Peferrably areas that have not received any yet. They are planning to deploy on thursday. Please contact ANNE GOMEZ 09175330815.
From Leslie Dioko-Cariaso:
REPOST – HARD BOILED EGGS AND SABA BANANAS ARE GOOD FOOD TO DONATE AMONG ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU CAN SPARE! IT DOES NOT NEED PLASTIC
OR A CAN OPENER AND IT IS LOADED WITH NUTRIENTS. AFFORDABLE IN BULK. PLEASE TAKE NOTE, PASS THIS ON! I suggest we also share bath soaps, alcohol, toilet paper, baby powder, comb, towels, etc. anything for personal hygiene.
Around 4:00 PM (GMT +8:00) Sept 29
From Cacay Moras:
If you have friends and family who are stuck in their houses and need assistance, please contact Red Cross 143, MMDA 136, NDCC 9115061 & Coast Guard 5276136 for rescue. Provide street names, roof colors, landmarks, etc. so that it is easier to find them.
From Eric Kahn:
with all the help going out in plastic bags, styropore trays, plastic cups plastic spoons, tin cans, plastic bottles etc. please dont make the mistake of just throwing them on the side of the streets again. Trash is one of the major casues of flooding. This will all happen again if we arent vigilant.
From Josa S. Quintas:
volunteer doctors and nurses please proceed to PNRC Shaw Blvd. near Kapitolyo Rotonda Mandaluyong City tomorrow by 10am to be deployed to different areas that need medical assistance.
From Leah Camilla R. Besa-Jimenez:
From Mark Ruiz’s sister Meg : DONATIONS ON WHEELS! If you have donations to give but no means to transport (cash/clothes/food/hygiene prods), pls contact us: Raine-09177974098, Meg-09326991794, Gerald-09189791229 and we will deliver your goods to a relief center! Delivering HOPE to the HOPELESS! 🙂 Through Jan Chavez-Arceo.
From Maricris Irene ‘iRis’ Tamolang:
At the NDCC meeting, Frisco Nilo of PAGASA said another tropical disturbance may enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning and make landfall in Northern Luzon or Central Luzon early next week.Frisco, meanwhile, calmed fears over the coming storm that will be named “Peping.”
From Luz Imperial-Harvey:
c/o Rollie Inocencio: Att’n relief workers in PASIG: exact address: 2 banuyo st. Phase 8 Marietta Romeo village Rosario pasig brgy. Sta lucia. Luz Imperial-Harvey is looking for her parents, a bed-ridden sister and her son. Please assist. Thank you!
From Neil Galang:
PASIG RED CROSS : We have enough volunteers but in need of more vehicles for the deployment of relief goods. Vans, pickups or trucks needed.
From Chiz Escudero:
Also please send help to Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Nobody, not even the local officials, have taken action to address the calamity.
Continue reading “Online Chatter on Philippine Typhoon Ondoy, part two”
Renzie’s Typhoon Ondoy Experience
Share This Post: personal post-disaster processing, with Renzie Baluyut. It is the end of Day Two- the second day after Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana poured down an unearthly amount of rain over the entire city . I headed for the Pasig apartment earlier on, which was actually the first time since the floodwaters hit. The entire […]
Yes, You Want To Help Out The Victims of Typhoon Ondoy
Share This Post: parts of Metro Manila are still in shambles, so let’s help whoever we can, and share whatever we have –Renzie Baluyut.
As bad as things are now in Metro Manila, what with Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana crashing down on us all a couple of days ago, it’s a sad fact that there are people worse off than us who need our help.
Case in point: I live in Pasig City. The floodwaters have actually gone into my apartment and made a mess out of things, but that is nothing compared to people whose houses were flooded all the way up to the roof and had to wait it out ’til the next day for food, warmth and rescue. Or those whose cars were swept away by the surge of floodwater, or were completely submerged in water-filled basement parking lots. Or those who were literally trapped in their homes because they had children and babies with them, floating around in murky waters until the next day.
As you can see, my problems are more of a nuisance, really, rather than an actual lamentable concern, compared to our more unfortunate countrymen.
At the time I write this, close to a hundred lives have already been claimed by Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana. Several more remain missing and unaccounted for, and thousands of people were displaced by the deluge.
We all pitch in, and help however we can.
I urge you to do what you can to help as well. Spread the word, tell others about what had happened here.
If you want to help out some more, please read on.
There’s a spreadsheet right here you can check out: http://spreadsheets.google.com/lv?key=tBMVeBvbdAtYRaRB6ErFWnA, that tells you where you can donate what items, where to volunteer, which items are needed more immediately, and other notes and requests.
Other ways you can help
1. Check out the Philippine National Red Cross. Quite possibly, the best place you can send donations, whether you’re in the Philippines, or elsewhere in the world. Get all the details on how you can send donations right here from the official website.
2. TXTPOWER.org. Check out their website here. You can send donations via Paypal (magbayanihan@yahoo.com.ph or by clicking here), through GCash (0917-9751092), or using SmartMoney (5577-5144-1866-7103).
3. Other channels available: Check out the blog of our dear friend, Jane, over at “Here’s To Life!”. She constantly updates this particular post, so you have all the options you need for helping out.
Most urgent needs
* Food items: Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans and potable water
* Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins and medications to treat diarrheal diseases
* Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, and Laundry soap
4. There are establishments and organizations on a previous post of mine in need of volunteers and relief goods as well. Any assistance you can throw their way would be very much appreciated.
Continue reading “Yes, You Want To Help Out The Victims of Typhoon Ondoy”
Online Chatter on Philippine Typhoon Ondoy
Share This Post: monitoring chatter on Facebook via my friends’ and contacts’ status updates, with Renzie Baluyut.
For a list of rescue hotlines, links and resources, please click this link.
It was a harrowing day yesterday as an entire month’s worth of September rain poured down on Metro Manila and surrounding areas in just a few short hours. We were right smack in the path of Typhoon Ondoy, or Ketsana. The result was disastrous. Never have I seen widespread flooding of this magnitude, and they say the last time a similar deluge happened in the city was some 42 years ago.
Needless to say, the entire city is a disaster area. Check out the news coverage on Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana on the BBC and CNN here. Photos from all over the city can be found here on Yahoo News.
Here are some status updates I compiled from my friends, colleagues and contacts from Facebook, covering a 12-hour period, from midnight last night, to just around noon today. This pretty much gives you an idea of how bad things are around here, as people all over Metro Manila have to deal with the massive downpour brought about by Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana.
Around 12:oo MN (GMT +8:00) Sept 27
From Carol Valdez:
My heart goes to everybody affected by Typhoon Ondoy. Keep safe. I will keep on praying for rain to stop and rescue be made immediately.
From Carlos Celdran:
is sitting in the dark. No lights in malate. Roxas boulevard is pitch black.
From Abbi Gabasa:
Hurricane Katrina dumped OVER AN INCH of rainfall in Louisiana for 3 hours and another 0.5 inches per hour over the next 5 hours on August 29, 2005. Ondoy dumped an AVERAGE OF 2.24 INCHES per hour for six hours… and is still going. PLEASE EXTEND YO…UR SUPPORT & PRAYERS FOR MANILA’S RECOVERY FROM THIS DISASTER.
From Philippine Beaches:
MRT and LRT is on 24hrs Operation, please spread. Red Cross Rubberboats.RED CROSS: 0917-899-7898 and 0938-442697,National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Emergency Numbers: 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061, 912-5296, 911-1873, 912-2112 Help
From Riza G. Gonzales:
OMG…still no electricity in here, telcos busted… News says it will go on for days before we can get back to normal state. Pls help us pray for our families and friends who were affected by the typhoon!
From Sandy Allan:
skyway’s open/free southbound! quezon ave is loosening up. QC circle is ok. philcoa is ok, commonwealth to tandang sora is ok. Airport/Taft area is still chaotic. Don’t pass by Buendia from Ayala towards Taft/Roxas Blvd. Traffic is not moving.
From Ito Rapadas:
Malls in Metro Manila are commanded by government to open and provide free parking to all stranded vehicles now. Call your relatives and friends currently stranded in the street to invoke this so that they can park to rest in malls.
From Cristina Ganzon:
Batangas under state of calamity. Power cut in most towns of Quezon province. Thousands of families evacuated in Laguna. Thousands stranded in major ports of Calabarzon. Rizal death toll up to 46.
Around 1AM (GMT +8:00) Sept 27
From Aida Baltazar:
distressing how ill-equipped we still are in responding to calamities. 2 rubber boats? seriously. fb friends here and abroad, relief donations for flood victims can be coursed through Red Cross. you’ll be assured it will get to the right beneficiaries and not land in ukay ukay.
From Francis Euston R. Acero:
RT @ageofbrillig: DZMM: Bulacan dams Angat & Ipo have released water after exceeding spilling level, creekside residents told to evacuate.
From Melanie Dujunco:
Appeal to those who have access to 4×4 trucks for rescue. Please send vehicles to Greenhills Shopping Center in front of Unimart Grocery to await deployment strategy. Call or text 09209072902 to confirm your pledge. Thank you.
From Ron Titular:
please pray for our home, my helpers and our community in marikina read here http://adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/typhoon-ondoy-floods-my-marikina-home/ a friend who lives nearby said the waters are going down and he’ll check… in on our home in the morning! We appreciate the prayers!
From Jei El Lim Deogracias:
how epic is this flood? Here’s an excerpt from the GMANews.TV story. Cruz said the total rainfall from “Ondoy” in the first six hours of the storm, which measured 341 millimeters, broke the record for the highest 24-hour rainfall of 33…4 millimeters in metropolitan Manila recorded by Pagasa in June 1967. “We were able to break that record in a span of six hours.” he said…
From Cecille Rebollos:
MSG FROM MY SISTER: WE R OK. STIL W8NG 4 RESCUE. 2 RUBBER BOATS BUT SAYS THEY WILL RETURN FOR US. A SIGN OF HOPE. PRAYERS PLEASE. – DENISE
From Yumi Calderon:
hmmm, cant believe that some people stranded on the roof top of their homes refuse to be rescued, and prefers to stay there. that same boat could’ve saved more people wanting to be saved.
From Chris Otero:
Just received word that PNP boats are in Provident village. Please tell your family and friends to yell or signal them if they hear the boats. Hang in there, folks!!
From Monica Poliquit:
Don’t forget to donate medicines too!!! Those people stuck under the cold rain for hours with hardly food or water will surely get sick…
From Ariel A. Roda:
LIFELINE RESCUE’s Central Dispatch “guided a father over the phone through the delivery of his own baby while trapped at home due to impassable floods. For similar situations, please ask those in need to call 16-911. All other ambulance ser…vices are out; only LIFELINE RESCUE is still on the road. Bless their souls!
From Ingrid M. Nieto:
FINALLY, the airline that says ‘it’s time everyone flies’ decided to cancel… after we have packed our stuff, checked out of the hotel, lined up and paid. cancelled. my heart goes out to the other passengers… cebu pac didn’t even… offer to accommodate or feed them as a result of the cancellation. tsk tsk tsk
From Joey Valdez:
my friend’s 5-MONTH OLD niece, her mother, and 4 other kids, up on roof in Cambridge St., Provident Village, Marikina – house under water, help needed. Please contact Therese at (920) 915-2140.
From Chayenne De Leon:
Fucking pathetic. RT @raincontreras: GMA’s LEGACY! RT @jimparedes: The rescue effort has 13 boats? That’s it?
From Richard Campos:
We need boats & light watercraft now… Lots of potable water in the next few days for the badly hit areas… Sadly, both are quite rare in the middle of the city at the moment…
Continue reading “Online Chatter on Philippine Typhoon Ondoy”
Renzie Baluyut Online 