Widespread flooding in Metro Manila area

CNN Asia website ^ | general/unknown

[uncitizen]

CNN) -- Downpours subsided temporarily in the Philippines on Sunday, a day after Tropical Storm Ketsana pummeled the capital Manila with its heaviest rainfall in more than 40 years.

[uncitizen]

I'm currently in the Philippines and feel responsible for passing this on FYI. Widespread flooding here is very bad. Many dead, missing, displaced from their homes. I'm ok, but some of my husbands family and friends are in trouble and we don't know the status of others.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

Saw some reports earlier.

Prayers for those in harms way and those who fell.

[uncitizen]

Wasn’t sure how much coverage it was getting in the US. Didn’t see anything on FR. Anyway, good to know it’s being covered. And thanx for the prayers for these people. They sure do need them.

-unc

[Myrddin]

Art Bell was hosting Coast To Coast last night from his condo in Manila and sharing the news in real time. His condo is on the 19th floor, so his immediate dwelling wasn't impacted, but he made note of the heavy flooding.

[Myrddin]

See the coverage on the CoastToCoastAM website.

[uncitizen]

Those of us in condos are generally ok, altho our neighborhood was flooded about 5 feet deep as we found out when we went out walking this morning.

There was a man on TV who was telling the reporter that he didn’t know where his wife or kids were. He was speaking so calmly but it looked like he was in shock. It’s just devastating. We lost a friend to electrocution.

[uncitizen]

was just thinking that. going over there now.

[AlexW]

I do not know why the big storms all seem to go through Luzon.
There have been two or three this year.
The last I heard from Philippine TV a few hours ago was 5 confirmed deaths.
The storm coverage dominated TV for some hours last night.

Here on Cebu it was rainy and windy Friday night and all day Saturday, but nothing serious. The power failed at dark for a few hours, and during a small neighborhood festival in my town.
Today is overcast and calm.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Prayers for the folks there.

[underthestreetlite]

[uncitizen]

Last report i got was 51 confirmed dead and many more missing.

[uncitizen]

very much appreciated.

[uncitizen]

flash flood apparently caused by the collapse of a wall.

[AlexW]

“Last report i got was 51 confirmed dead and many more missing.”

Yes, I expect it to go higher as water recedes and bodies
located.

[Myrddin]

I sent Art and e-mail referencing this thread. Perhaps he can offer some updates. Based on the storm path prediction on the C2C site, it's going to be getting worse before it improves.

[uncitizen]

yep.

[uncitizen]

Thanks for that. I’d be honored if Art joined us and provided an update. And yeah, we did hear it’s gonna get worse. Not good for the 700 families already living in a temporary shelter in a elementary school or anyone else for that matter.

[Myrddin]

[Myrddin]

The last image I posted is an active image. It will update as time progresses. Perhaps you can help coordinate assistance from your "high and dry" location. My wife and I have done that for many years as hams in San Diego. It has been less so since our move to Idaho in 2000.

TIme to get some sleep at this end.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

I thought Art Bell gave up radio in like 96/97

[uncitizen]

if you’re still up you’ve got freepmail

[SW6906]

I was just there a few months ago. Now I’m worried for my friends..........prayers for all to make it through this.

[John Leland 1789]

We have a base in Batangas Province (Lipa City) in southern Luzon. Has anyone heard any reports about Batangas?

[uncitizen]

Just heard on the news that Batangas was affected. Don’t know to what degree because i wasn’t able to hear the whole story. Only caught the tail end. They were saying that one or more schools would be closed. I will see what else i can find out and get back to you.

[uncitizen]

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20090926/tph-power-out-in-7-batangas-towns-85c5a6c.html

This is a little more on Batangas.

[John Leland 1789]

Thank you so much for the link on Batangas Province. Prayers for those dear people.

[uncitizen]

you’re very welcome

[stephenjohnbanker]

Prayers up, keep us posted.

[uncitizen]

I will keep everyone posted with whatever news i find out, good or bad. I hear the death toll is now at 81 last count. But there’s still high water in many places.

I’d like to take this opportunity to tell everyone about my friends brother, who rescued 12 children by placing them one by one in a tree where they stayed for 12 hours, before he died by electrocution from a wire that was under the water. Please if you would, pray for this man and his family.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Will do!

[ut1992]

Thoughts and prayers going out to you and all in the Philippines. Was there in March for several weeks and have never meet such warm and friendly folks.

I am heading to the Philippines next month as an expatriate for my company so I’m following Philippine news more closely now. I will be living in Makati.

Ironically, one of my brothers is also living/working as an expat in the Philippines; they have been there for almost two years and love it. He is there with his family and they live in Taguig. Spoke with them last night our time and they said they were fine, with only intermittent “flickering” of their electricity and internet service. Fortunately, they live in a high-rise and their building has full emergency power.

[uncitizen]

http://ph.yahoo.com/

Latest news on the flooding in the Philippines.

[Myrddin]

I thought Art Bell gave up radio in like 96/97

He passed the baton for the full time hosting to George Noory. He still returns as a guest host to cover for the other full timers when they have conflicting engagements or for his signature "Ghost to Ghost" on Halloween or the predictions shows on New Years Eve.

[uncitizen]

UPDATE- PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONTACT A LOVED ONE SINCE THE FLOODS

I mentioned i'm here in Metro Manila area. If you have been unable to contact a friend or family member here since the floods, please freepmail me with their name and where they live. I will forward that information to the local TV station which helping coordinate locating and/or rescuing missing people.

Here are links to the TV station:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/27/09/ondoy-situation-map-metro-manila-google-maps

And another yahoo update:

http://ph.yahoo.com/

[Myrddin]

If you can find a business office with a multi-number PBX, that might allow you to staff a hotline with a common phone number. That will help multiply the effectiveness of your efforts. Have the TV station and a local radio station announce the phone number after the hourly news breaks. I suggest this as more people are likely to have a standard radio or TV than active access to the internet. The hotline can coordinate both collection of missing/lost, but also act as a clearing house for the "found" persons when you have an update. Good luck. Leaping into the fire of emergency services communications can be a real eye opening experience.

[Myrddin]

BTW, CoastToCoastAM just started the evening show. The host indicates that he has no current status on Art Bell and family. If you have an update, you can probably use the "fast blast" messaging to the host.

[Jet Jaguar]

I saw it. It is being reported in the US sporadically.

Stay safe.

[Myrddin]

Art just called in via "internet" telephone. He and his family/housekeeper are just fine. He said 354 millimeters of rain fell in 6 hours. He thinks the death toll is over 100 with over 300,000 homeless. There are lots of folks still on roofs. Art and family have gathered some donations already. He is requesting relief donations on C2C now.

[uncitizen]

I don’t have experience with anything like this and am doing the best i can. I appreciate your ideas, but just don’t know if i am capable of handling staffing a hotline. I’m just one person and since i’m new here i don’t have many friends yet that i can recruit for help. Those friends that i do have and many of my husbands employees are in trouble and we’re trying to help them with whatever they need.

So i am afraid i may only be able to help in the limited way which i mentioned. If i don’t get many freepmails of missing people needing to be found, i will do what i can to be useful from inside my place. It’s raining again and so i can’t go out and don’t have a car.

Thank you so much for your help! Don’t stop coming up with ideas please. I will make every effort t do what i can to help until this thing is over.

[uncitizen]

Just heard on news that 8000 people have been rescued so far. It’s no where near over yet to. (NDCC Relief Effort)

They’re asking for relief items including medicines of the following type: cold medicine, cough medicine, anti-biotics, anti-diahhrea and for doctors. They are having trouble locating doctors.

FYI only

[Old Professer]

A little background as foundation for perspective:

WIKI
‘Bagyo is the name of any tropical cyclone in the Philippine Islands.[1] An average of 6 to 7 tropical cyclones hit the Philippines per year.[2] Bagyo is categorized into four types according to its wind speed by the PAGASA. All tropical cyclones, regardless of strength, are named by PAGASA.[3] Tropical depressions have maximum sustained winds of between 55 kilometres per hour (30 kn) and 64 kilometres per hour (35 kn) near its center. Tropical storms have maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour (35 kn) and 119 kilometres per hour (64 kn). Typhoons achieve maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour (65 kn) to 185 kilometres per hour (100 kn),[4] with super typhoons having maximum winds exceeding 185 kilometres per hour (100 kn).[5] The most destructive tropical cyclone to impact the Philippines was Tropical Storm Thelma in 1991, which killed thousands of people from its resultant flooding.[6] The wettest known tropical cyclone to impact the archipelago was the July 1911 cyclone which dropped over 1,168 millimetres (46.0 in) of rainfall within a 24 hour period at Baguio City.[1] At least 30 percent of the annual rainfall in the northern Philippines could be traced to tropical cyclones, while the southern islands receive less than 10 percent of their annual rainfall from tropical cyclones.’

[BIGLOOK]

I was once in a typhoon in Manila years ago and there was major devastation from Katanga to Angeles.

Na nagnanais sa inyo, ang lahat ng mga bagay-bagay pumasa.

[uncitizen]

Glad to hear Art and family are fine.

Yes, nearly as much rain fell in 6 hours than normally falls in the entire month of September.

And correct, have been seeing the pics of the people still on their roofs and as i said it’s raining again.

Also i have the hotline numbers for the various cities. They are showing them on TV periodically. They seem to be doing as much as they can out here to rescue these people. I’m going to check the helpline and see if they can direct me toward a way i can be helpful.

[Myrddin]

I've been doing emergency communications work since getting my ham license in 1976. It's a skill set that takes time to acquire and polish. Getting a ham license and practicing emergency communications during non-emergency public service events might be a worthy goal for your "to do" list. The rain/flooding that you are experiencing now will surely occur again. I admire your willingness to jump in and help.

ARRL has a bunch of standard forms for handling emergency traffic. You can find them as freebies at this link. Scan the list and pick out items relevant to your resources. There are more resources here

[Myrddin]

Sounds like you are getting hooked into the resource network. Give it your best. I'm headed off to bed shortly.

[uncitizen]

thanks for the links and advice. Getting some needed items together for donation currently.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Thank you.

[sodpoodle]

OMG - I am so relieved you are OK - prayers for all your family & friends.

sod

[uncitizen]

Yes sod, i’m ok, but so many others are not. The stories are so horrific. The videos (you may have seen them on the news by now)would make you cry.

[uncitizen]

todays local news:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/

Close to 400K in shelters, ~240 dead at this point. Ways to help.