Philippine Floods; 240+ dead, 400,000 displaced

[Neon_Chaos]

Need prayers for everyone over here. An intense tropical storm just submerged most of the Metro after one day of ridiculous rain.

Thank goodness our village is located on high ground, so we're not affected.

Videos:

Hospital flooding:
Incompatible Browser | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/video/video.php?v=281979720576)

Eastwood City submerged:
YouTube - Typhoon Ondoy Demolishes Eastwood! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnqU-BhIsM0)

Near my old High School:
YouTube - Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) Hits Manila (Part 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7OPEgpfkaw)

If you'd like to help or donate, American Red Cross is taking donations. 1-800-435-7669

edit:

Apparently we got 16 inches of rain in less than 9 hours. Jeez.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

[RendeR]

Damn dude, hope you and yours are safe. Best wishes for the people there.

Its like fuckin Noah or something. Who built my ark? Where the fricking blazes is MY ARK!?!

[Neon_Chaos]

Thanks Render, the family's ok.

We were very fortunate to be living on high-ground. Classes at all levels have been suspended, and people are being urged to stay at home for the next two days in order for evacuation and relief efforts to reach those who need it.

At least 80% of the entire Metro Manila was underwater last Saturday, not counting the other provinces surrounding us in Luzon island.

There are two other low-pressure areas headed to the Philippines within the week. So we're all bracing for the worst.

Edit:

Apparently this is the most rainfall in the Philippines for the span of one day in over 40 years.
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[DaddyTorgo]

goddamn!!!

[Neon_Chaos]

A couple of days out, and the death toll more than doubles.

Death toll from Ondoy rises to 240—NDCC - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090929-227444/Death-toll-from-Ondoy-rises-to-240NDCC)

Overall damage is estimated at around P2.3 Billion, roughly $46 Million.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090929-227511/Ondoy-damage-reaches-P23-billion
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[Schmidty]

Damn this sucks. I'm surprised it's not getting more attention, especially on the board.

Glad you're ok NC.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hang in there NC, hope you & yours stay as safe & dry as possible.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I need the ask the question that is at the forefront of everyone's concern.......

Was the Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum in Marakira spared any damage?

Imelda Marcos Does Her Bit for Shoe Business - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81457&page=1)

In all seriousness, glad you are safe Neon.

[Neon_Chaos]

I need the ask the question that is at the forefront of everyone's concern.......

Was the Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum in Marakira spared any damage?

Imelda Marcos Does Her Bit for Shoe Business - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81457&page=1)

In all seriousness, glad you are safe Neon.

I'm assuming no. :) Marikina City essentially became Marikina Lake.

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[Crapshoot]

Sucks dude; I'm hearing from buddies that Manila is absolutely hell. :(

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm assuming no. :) Marikina City essentially became Marikina Lake.

Do shoes float? :)

[SunDevil]

Neon,

Hang in there. I am glad that you are living on high ground.

You will be in my prayers.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

This ain't pretty... Hang in there man!

[Swaggs]

Sounds like it keeps getting worse.

Hope the bad news ends soon.

[Neon_Chaos]

We're bracing ourselves for another incoming storm.

Pepeng (international name: PARMA) is looking to just sideswipe us. Hopefully it doesn't change direction.

It has already been classified as a Super Typhoon (Similar to a Category 4 Hurricane), and is currently intensifying as it is about to make landfall.

:: Typhoon2000.com® :: The Philippines' First Website on Tropical Cyclones (Since 1997) (http://www.typhoon2000.ph/)


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[Kodos]

Wow. Pretty bad over there. Hope the typhoon steers clear of you guys.

[Neon_Chaos]

Sweet jeez. It never ends.

Two weeks ago, Typhoon Pepeng (Category 4) rode the northern shores of the Philippines, causing massive rainfall and winds for five straight days. This was after the devastation and heavy rainfall of of Typhoon Ondoy (Category 2).

We got another one coming, two weeks later...

Typhoon Ramil (Int'l Name - Lupit), has been upgraded to a high-level Super Typhoon (Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale). It's expected to hit the northern shores (not a direct hit on Metropolitan Manila) by Thursday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/weather/10/19/philippines.storms/index.html

Here is an image of how huge this motherfucker is.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8103/typhoonb.jpg

Global warming FTW.
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[CleBrownsfan]

:(

How does a country like the Philippines prepare for something like this? Do they have the means to protect themselves?

[DaddyTorgo]

goddamn Neon. Poor dude

[Neon_Chaos]

Most of the rich and middle class who live in high ground are safe. It's the poor and the farmers who are most affected by the typhoon and the floods, specially those who live in the low-lying areas in the central-north of the Philippines.

So far, me and the family are alright, and the instantaneous outpouring of donations and charity work from the entire nation during the past two weeks have been amazing.

These recent set of storms have exposed how unprepared the government is regarding natural disasters. We don't have a calamity fund... or should I say, those bastards in the government have spent the calamity fund on foreign trips and expensive restaurants.
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[DaddyTorgo]

We don't have a calamity fund... or should I say, those bastards in the government have spent the calamity fund on foreign trips and expensive restaurants.
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probably most accurate...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

These recent set of storms have exposed how unprepared the government is regarding natural disasters. We don't have a calamity fund... or should I say, those bastards in the government have spent the calamity fund on foreign trips and expensive restaurants.

We talking about the U.S. or the Phillipines?

[gstelmack]

We talking about the U.S. or the Phillipines?

North Carolina is a great example. We had a nice rainy day fund (something like 1 billion dollars) since we had budget surpluses, then the Dems gain control of the state house and spend it all and blew the budget so we no longer had a surplus, then we got hit by Hurricane Floyd and the state was left hanging.

[Neon_Chaos]

We talking about the U.S. or the Phillipines?

I suppose it works for both.

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[Schmidty]

Keep us updated with how you're doing NC. I hope everything ends up ok for you, and that the storm doesn't cause to much damage.

[Neon_Chaos]

I'm pretty confident that we're going to be ok in the Metro if the storm doesn't change paths. Its mostly my relatives in the north that I'm worried about. The last storm was pretty bad. If this one is anything like the last, it's going to be hard for them.