The floods that hit Metro Manila the other day, when Typhoon Gaemi (Carina) was somehow able to surprise that part of the country, were equal parts scary and normal.
Scary because it reminded us of how bad things can get, no matter how much the Department of Public Works and Highways seem to be either digging and/or pouring concrete all over the country, because the seas are rising, extreme weather is no longer rare, reclamation projects meet no resistance from government officials, and in some places, even the land is sinking from too much human activity.
On the other hand, it is normal because floods are just among the many disasters that the ever-resilient Filipino has had to deal with, by virtue of the geographic location of our country and the poor quality of the leaders that our voters prefer to put in charge. Despite living in one of the most disaster prone areas in the world, it seems that we never learn our lessons and still manage to get caught flat footed by such natural calamities, which if you come to think of it, isn’t really surprising anymore.
Despite the DPWH having poured billions of pesos into flood control projects all over the country, Metro Manila probably getting the brunt of that budget, the problem persists, with the same catastrophic results. Are we wasting money on such projects that are turning out to be ineffective? Or are any gains that have been made being negated by shortsighted decisions such as continued reclamation projects in Manila Bay, which apparently impedes the natural flow of floodwaters?
Aside from apparently ineffective flood control infrastructure, it would also seem that the weather forecasting is defective, having failed to predict the insane amount of rain that would fall on that day. It would seem that PAGASA, upon seeing that Typhoon Gaemi wouldn’t make landfall, already called it a day, so no warnings were raised and life went on as usual, at least until the flood waters started rising, which by then, it was too late.
The National Capital Region’s experience with the flooding caused by monsoon rains while narrowly missing a direct hit from a super typhoon leaves a lot of lessons to be learned.
The first is that flood control infrastructure and maintenance cannot be counted upon until it is torture tested, and even if it does pass, there is still no way of knowing if it will work properly next time because maintenance and keeping waterways open is still key.
The second is that reclamation projects have a profound effect on our environment that can usually only be exposed by natural calamities. Unless there is solid science that can predict how a reclamation project won’t cause flooding during times of extreme weather, it is always better to assume that it will. Hopefully this is a lesson that many reclamation-happy LGUs will learn.
The third is that weather forecasting still matters. Until a city with vulnerable and flood-prone areas can prove that their flood control infrastructure is working as designed, bullet proof, and properly maintained; accurate and timely weather forecasts and alerts will be critical in preventing the loss of life and property, especially during this era of extreme weather. PAGASA’s failure to warn Metro Manila adequately on Wednesday will hopefully lead to better forecasting capabilities that will allow targeted warnings and preemptive evacuations to all low lying, flood prone and landslide prone areas. This is the most important factor of all because even if the flood control infrastructure fails, accurate weather forecasting should allow the residents of vulnerable areas to prepare and at least give their stuff a chance at being saved.
The rainy/stormy season has just begun. Typhoon Gaemi didn’t even make landfall and yet it caused so much destruction. We should expect worse, and should be ready for the worst. Instead, Metro Manila has already massively failed on what should’ve been a dry run. It makes one wonder just how unprepared the rest of the country is.
The problem with flood control infrastructure is that until it is really tested, there is no way to know just how effective it can be. It is mostly underground, we don’t know what it looks like upon turnover, and how much crap will have accumulated when it was unused. I am reminded of a “big” flood control project in front of my lola’s house in Silay, which as of now, doesn’t seem to make any sense. Maybe when I have grandchildren, it will be useful.
All we can do is hope that the DPWH in our area knows what it is doing, and they are not just digging and pouring concrete just because someone has to make a profit. So until such infrastructure is fully tested, those of us who live in vulnerable areas will have to rely on the weather forecasters, and will also need a plan on what to do and where to go when the alert is raised.
As a people whose leaders praise them for their resiliency and ability to adjust to any situation, no matter how crappy, we shouldn’t worry so much, as we Filipinos have proven that we should be able to handle a few more generations of this.*
