EDITORIAL - No time to waste

A heavy downpour of about an hour and what happens? Metro Manila was inundated last Saturday. And the monsoon season is still many weeks away. The massive flooding over the weekend should serve as an early warning to disaster agencies that Metro Manila, home to over a tenth of the country’s population, is not ready for the typhoon season.

The country has seen enough cataclysmic typhoons and flooding to know the consequences of being unprepared for nature’s fury. Metro Manila reeled from the winds of super typhoon “Milenyo,” and then from the consequent massive power outages that lasted up to a week in some parts of the metropolis. “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” triggered disastrous flooding that took several weeks to subside in many parts of the Laguna de Bay floodplain.

Disaster agencies have since procured life rafts and other rescue equipment in preparation for typhoons. But the most basic preparation is clearing drainage systems. Last weekend’s torrential flooding subsided quickly but showed that more needs to be done. If Metro Manila could be submerged in an hour-long downpour, think of what could happen if the heavy rain lasted for an entire day, as in Ondoy and Pepeng.

By now utility companies should also be deep in preparation for contingencies. In many parts of Metro Manila, water supply is dependent on electricity to run pumps. Power lines and poles are expected to be damaged during typhoons. What is important is to restore power supply as quickly as possible, and not just to the posh villages in Makati. Communication is also crucial and service disruptions must be addressed quickly.

At the airport, authorities must be prepared, if not with power generators that work, then at least to ensure that ceilings do not leak during a downpour. Generators need to be tested before the onset of the monsoons, and they must have sufficient power to provide comfortable ventilation at the airport during blackouts. Drainage systems should also be checked to prevent flooding at the tarmac.

All these measures are known to concerned authorities. Last Saturday’s flooding was a reminder that there’s no excuse to be unprepared, and there’s no time to waste.