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.

Radio is Back

One of the many things that Typhoon Ondoy had taught the victims of flooding and prolonged power outages is the importance of the radio. During the onslaught of the typhoon, many people experienced the loss of the most popular source of news of information: television. Even the handy cellular phone became useless after the typhoon as many cell sites became un-operational due to power outages and flooding. Many of us became exasperated as we are cut-off from the outside world and our friends. The loss of TV and mobile phone highlighted our dependence on real time communication and information especially during calamities.

In contrast, radio is more stable and sometimes became the sole voice of information and news in communities ravaged by Ondoy. I remember how I wished to have bought a transistor radio before the Ondoy came. How I envy the lucky neighbors who have a radio blaring inside their homes, filling their moments with music and updates on the calamities wrought by the typhoon.

Having learned our lessons, we bought a radio and now we rediscovered the fun of listening to this small voice box. Every night, when my parents got tired of the usual dramas offered by the local TV networks, they turn on the radio and listen to music and get some laugh from local FM stations.

Also, as a preparation to future calamities, we made sure that the radio we bought can be operated by various energy sources. The best radio that we chose is the one that can be plugged, operates on battery, and have an internal re-chargeable battery. Now, even if the TV became blank during the assault of typhoons, we have the reliable radio to keep us informed and entertained during power outages.