Seven years ago on September 26, 2009, the rains started to fall heavily. What was expected was a tropical storm named Ondoy and Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces were under Storm Warning Signal No. 1.
But the rains were not only heavy. It was a sustained torrential rain that lasted for 5 hours. For the first time, Ayala Ave., in Makati was submerged. It quickly inundated the areas not typically flooded and with regards to areas that were typically flooded, its rate of water increase was unlike what was experienced before since Typhoon Kading in 1978.
Ondoy, then combined with the enhanced southwest monsoon, caused damages to infrastructure and agriculture at a cost of P11 billion ($246 million).
What happened in Ondoy was that the amount of average rainfall for a month fell within a span of 5 hours.
It's been 7 years since Ondoy hit the country, yet it will always be remembered because of its impact. It is even often compared to other typhoons that have followed, yet most have failed to match Ondoy's record.
Here are just 5 of the biggest effects of Ondoy to the country.
1. Ondoy is one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country in terms of number of people affected.
With combined heavy rains and strong winds, Ondoy affected 993,227 families or 4,901,234 people, making it fourth in the list of worst natural disasters in the Philippines in terms of number of people affected.
What made it particularly hard hitting was that Ondoy affected the most populous areas of the Philippines.
By mid-morning or around two hours after the non-stop torrential rainfall began, flooding was already being experienced on 85% of the NCR.
From the total of affected population, 464 were killed, 529 injured, and 37 were missing.
Furthermore, a total of 15,798 families or 70,124 people took shelter in 244 evacuation centers.
2. Metro Manila and about 30% of all provinces in the Philippines were placed under a state of calamity.
In just 6 hours, Ondoy released rainfall equivalent to a month’s volume of rain with a rate of 56.83 mm/hr based on its 24-hour recorded rainfall. Twenty-three provinces and Metro Manila were placed under a state of calamity due to the widespread devastation by Ondoy.
President Gloria Arroyo declared a state of calamity (national) since there was another approaching typhoon within 5 days. It was still flooded in 65% of the affected areas at that time (floodings in considerably large areas would last for at least 3 weeks)
In Metro Manila, the most affected areas in terms of flooding were Pasig City, Quezon City, City of Manila, Caloocan City, Muntinlupa City, and Marikina City, with the highest height of flood ranging from knee to neck level, up to roof top.
3. The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act was created.
The damages brought by both Ondoy and Pepeng led to the enactment of Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. The Act enhances the disaster preparedness and capabilities of the national government and local government units by providing a National Disaster Risk Reduction Management System Framework, and by institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan.
Also, the experiences during Ondoy resulted in the most comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management planning in the entire Philipppine history. Project RESILIENCE was developed and implemented by the Office of Civil Defence in coordination with a large number of Local Government Units, DOST, PAGASA, MMDA and other government and private agencies (both domestic and international)
The creation of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils and Offices were established down to the barangay level. This now forms the current infrastructure for DRRM from local to national levels.
4. Ondoy caused a leptospirosis outbreak that year.
In 9 Metro Manila hospitals, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded a total of 383 cases of leptospirosis just a few weeks after Ondoy caused flooding in Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon.
Suprisingly, this figure is already half of the total number of leptospirosis cases reported in 2009.
The DOH even asked help in responding to the leptospirosis outbreak from a team of international experts from Australia, France, the Netherlands and Singapore.
5. Ondoy's rainfall remains unmatched by other typhoons that followed.
Almost 5 years after Ondoy, Tropical Storm Mario (international name: Fung-wong) hit almost the same areas affected by Ondoy. Mario hit the country a week before the fifth anniversary of Ondoy.
Many netizens have compared these two tropical storms, but Ondoy dumped a higher volume of rainfall than Mario. Mario has brought high level floods that affected a total of 1,812,257 persons affected in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B V, VII, CAR, and NCR – still less than the total population affected by Ondoy.
Although floodings remain a problem in NCR, the DPWH has launched a flood management plan that covers Metro Manila and surrounding places like Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan and Cavite
The local DRRMOs and DRRMCs have now been institutionalized and further lessons from Typhoon Yolanda have been incorporated in the Incident Command Systems and Disaster Management Plans of the concerned government agencies and units.
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