Manila Swamped

Massive typhoon Ketsana:

PEOPLE watched in horror and disbelief as the extent of typhoon Ondoy’s devastation in Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon was exposed yesterday, a day after the storm (international code name: Ketsana) unleashed the heaviest rainfall in history, bringing misery to millions of people in the metropolis and in 25 provinces.

Tales of death and terror filled the airwaves and even the Internet. As of press time yesterday, many remained trapped on rooftops, and government officials and civic groups appealed for donations for thousands of victims needing food, water, clothes and blankets.

The deluge left some areas under up to 20 feet of water, stranding entire families on rooftops and forcing the government to declare a state of calamity.

Highways were turned into raging rivers that swept away shanties and cars. Video footage from military helicopters showed desperate residents marooned on rooftops pleading for food and help.

...Local Red Cross chairwoman Gwendolyn Pang said rescuers struggled to reach many areas, with many highways rendered impassable.

“This has never happened before. Almost 80 percent of metropolitan Manila is under water,” Pang said.

The government’s chief weather forecaster Prisco Nilo blamed “climate change” for the extreme weather but said he expected the weather to ease when the storm dies down today.