Waterworld of España Boulevard

I was both amazed and baffled last Monday night when I looked at Taft Avenue from the platform of LRT – Pedro Gil Station. The whole stretch of Taft Avenue is submerged in floodwaters! My great dilemma was the fact that I have to go down the LRT station and brave that ultra-mega-super-filthy flood.

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I left that area of Taft Avenue with my sock soaked with disgusting floodwaters. Even my beloved and her sister, whom we fetched from the nearby Robinson's Mall, were not spared. They also braved the flooded Taft Avenue.

The rains and floods that Monday night is just the beginning of the calamity brought by the “habagat” winds. I woke Tuesday morning just to see that major parts of Metro Manila were submerged by floodwaters. People from low-lying areas were evacuated. Many people died by electrecution,drowning and landslide.

I decided to go back to work on Thursday even though many areas are still flooded. Employees, like me, were forced to go work because the government didn't suspend work in government and private offices.

I knew something was amiss when the bus conductor told us that they will be cutting their trip at Blumentritt Street. It only meant that España Boulevard is still flooded. I was not wrong.

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Stranded passengers at Blumetritt corner España Boulevard

I was forced to go down Blumentritt Street because the bus driver didn't want to brave the flooded  España Boulevard. Passenger vehicles are rare so I decided to walk the remeining stretch of  España Boulevard despite the flood.

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Thigh high flood along De La Fuente Street.

There are a lot of people who waded through the flood of  España Boulevard. Most of them are workers who didn't to be late for work. Fortunately, the flood along the side of the boulevard was just as high as my thighs. I might have turn back if the flood rose higher than my hips.

The trains of Philippine National Railways (PNR) continued its operations. Passengers of PNR are fortunate during that day because of it.

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Flooded España Boulevard and the train of PNR.

I saw some buses that passed through the floods of  España Boulevard. I am dismayed when I saw those bus. The bus that I had ridden earlier should have braved the flood for the sake of the passengers. The operator of Universal Guiding Star is such a chicken.

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Bravo Florida Bus Lines!

I know that my ordeal is about to the end when I reached the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

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Walking beside the fence of UST.

UST is one school worst hit by floods. According to news reports, Floods entered UST Hospital and many patients had to be transferred to the upper floors.

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Flooded arch of UST

Morayta is the last part of my journey. I climbed the footbridge to see the extent of the flood. Here is what I saw:

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España Boulevard is totally flooded.

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Morayta Area.

Many people used the flood to earn some money like the people who made this bridge:

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It is good that the classes are suspended. I am sure that students of Far Eastern University (FEU) will be horified to see this:

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I am glad to see that there is no flood at Lerma Street. I am so happy to walk on flood-less street.

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The underpass under Recto Avenue became another big swimming pool. The water in the underpass was gone when I passed yesterday morning.

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Walking along the flooded  España Boulevard is a great experience for me though I will not do it again in the future.

Preparation is the Key

I read from the blog of Ate Claire that she loves rain. She said that she loves to hear raindrops falling on the roof of her house. I also used to love the rain, but for now, I dislike it. The reason for this is that the rain always bring floods and I have a hard time going home every rainy day because the streets of Metro Manila is flooded.

It has been raining the past days and Metro Manila is flooded easily. A simple rain is enough to bring waist-high flood on some parts of the metropolis. Thus, many residents suffer and many motorists are trapped and can't go home. Due to the current scenario, it is easy to recall the calamity that occurred last year when Typhoon Ondoy dumped large volume of water in Metro Manila, causing many areas to be flooded. The floodwaters reached even above the roofs of second floor houses. Many people died and many properties were destroyed. Cars and appliances were ruined.

Now that the rainy days are here, it is not an exaggeration for the many of us to be scared of the flood, especially now that the government is not serious in fixing the drainage system of Metro Manila. I could see that there is no serious work to prepare the whole city for the another occurrence of the Ondoy-like flood.

However, it is wrong just to stand scared and do nothing. Now is the time to be prepared. Now is the time for the people living in low-lying areas to store provisions of food, water and medicine. Emergency kits must be prepared and batteries for radio and flashlights should always be at hand. Applying for an insurance policy is also a prudent thing to do. Car insurance, HVG insurance, and the likes will be enough to protect your properties, as long as your insurance policy have the "Act of God" coverage.

It has been that we should always expect and pray for the best. That is good, but there is no harm for us also to prepare for the worst. Preparing for possible calamities should be started now, before it is too late.