JUNE 22, 2008 FLOODS IN ILOILO

Postscript to tragedy (EDITED)
Posted on June 28th, 2008
Author: Artchil Fernandez, Hot and Spicy, ◙ The Daily Guardian

ON FRIDAY night, the people of Iloilo went to sleep thinking it was just an ordinary rainy night. The weather forecast from PAG-ASA said typhoon Frank had just made landfall in Samar. Late night news plotted the pathway of Frank, showing it would proceed to Bicol from Samar then head for the northern part of Luzon. An earlier weather bulletin even projected Frank would not make landfall at all, indicating it would exit in the Pacific near northern Luzon.

Thus, upon waking on Saturday morning, Ilonggos were surprised to find water under their beds, with strong winds and rain battering their houses. Unable to make sense what was going on, many turned on their radios only to discover electric power gone. Only those with battery-powered transistor radios came to know what was happening. Frank had changed course and the city and province of Iloilo was on its direct path.

By the time the people of Panay figured out the situation, Frank was already unleashing 170 km per hour winds, dumping heavy rains that lasted more than twelve hours. Many residents climbed to rooftops and trees to escape rampaging waters as they cried for help. It was only then that Ilonggos became aware of the calamity that had befallen them.

Floods, never seen before in the history of Iloilo submerged the city and province. Water rose so fast in many areas people hardly had time to save their belongings. In a matter of fifteen to twenty minutes, houses were under water. In places the water was eight to ten feet high. Those with no second floors clambered to their rooftops and stayed there for twelve to twenty-fours hours, under strong winds and rain.

Frantic calls for help swamped radio stations and government agencies. Unprepared for the calamity, their lame response barely made a difference. When it was over, the city and province of Iloilo was devastated.

In Region 6, 498 died, and 263 are missing. The figure is expected to rise as reports started to trickle in from far-flung areas. Power and communication were cut off, and as of this writing, only 46% of Panay had electricity. Damage to infrastructure, livelihood and agriculture is expected to reach billions of pesos (Php5.5 billion according to recent estimates).

As Ilonggos pick up the pieces and slowly recover from the calamity, valuable lessons need to be learned. The tragedy has exposed the unpreparedness of the government – province, city and municipalities, in disaster management. As cries for assistance deluged government units, they were helpless.

One disaster office had no disaster equipment except for a single rope. With no resources to use, all that local government units could do was listen to frantic cries and calls and watch as people were swept away. Some local executives could only cry as they witnessed their constituents plunge to their deaths.

Disaster preparedness is one area neglected by government units. Usually it takes a tragedy for them to move and do something. Do not wait for another tragedy to strike before moving. Today more than ever disaster preparedness of the community should be given top priority. Frank was not the first or the last typhoon to hit the region. The rainy season has just started.

While what happened was primarily caused by the force of nature, human factor could have aggravated the situation. Areas never flooded before were inundated by water. With most of Panay’s forest cover gone, when heavy rains occur, especially in the mountainous parts of the island, water immediately rushes down the slopes as there are no more trees to hold them.
Flooding is already a perennial problem in the city of Iloilo but the magnitude of the recent flood is a wake-up call. If Panay had sufficient forest cover, the flooding would not have been this bad. Reports of illegal logging should be investigated.

Wanton greed and irresponsibility have destroyed whatever is left of Panay’s forest cover and people living in low lying areas are paying a very high price for this. Stronger efforts must be made to prevent the destruction of remaining forests and instead, expand them. Environmental consciousness must be ingrained in the minds of the people. When nature takes its revenge, everyone is a victim.