Surviving ‘Frank’
BANGON Iloilo. Masarangan ta ni! This is the battle cry of Mayor Jerry P. Treñas for rebuilding the City in the aftermath of Furious Frank which left twenty eight dead and 255,000 homeless to rally the Ilonggos towards recovery and restoration efforts.
It is not just an order to stand after a fall, but to rise and move on. It is an order to pick up the pieces and put them back altogether again; to let go of what has been lost and to find ways to fill the void.
It is a call for cleaning up and restoring order just like the way things were or even far better. It is getting prepared for eventualities of nightmarish magnitude. It is also a call for sobriety and calm, for being thoughtful and generous - having a heart for those who suffered, and for understanding the limitations of governments.
It is a relief operation for those who were hungry and cold, for those who have been shattered and shocked, robbed of their possessions by the thief who came on a broad daylight, just before anybody could have taken lunch that fateful Saturday, 21st of June 2008.
Furious Frank. Nobody expected Frank to be that harsh and cruel bringing strong winds and heavy rains, and causing flash floods across Panay. Accounts of how the water rose so fast in low lying areas were no strange tales anymore. Most people were used to flooding before, but they were all saying this one was so fast. What was thought of as just another water scare became a nightmare. For just a matter of minutes, shorter than a TV commercial break, water at knee deep has suddenly reached the neck.
Some people say Frank was nature’s way of getting back at man’s folly - cutting trees and throwing trash like crazy. Ask those who have been to Maasin and they would describe to you the wide clearings around the watershed. Check on what busted the MIWD major pipe line in Cabatuan but the impact of logs rolling down with the raging water from the mountains. Listen to the narratives of subdivision dwellers how difficult it was to swim in flood water looking for higher grounds because of the floating garbage – plastics clinging to their bodies. And the latest was the discovery, up their in Alimodian, of timbers which if washed down the slopes would bring more havoc to the plains.
His fury was too much to handle; it left the crisis management office helpless. The only two rubber boats were rendered out of service even just before the rescue operation could heat up. The water current was so strong, that even SUVs were dragged out of the road and into the rice fields. It was a consolation, the wind was not strong enough to blow away the roofs; otherwise, there would have been nothing to perch upon. Poor roof settlers, they were just whistling for and down the wind for rescuers to come in the midst of surging flood waters.
There is no point anymore in finger pointing on whose to blame. Unlike the fish businessmen and the Romblon officials who are filing a rap against Sulpicio Lines who is in turn filing a case against PAGASA, no one plans to bring Frank to court. Instead, Frank may be brought to mind as snooze breaker. Many who were traumatized by Frank would like to think of it as a bad dream. Many also thought of Frank as an eye opener for the people to start rethinking their priorities
Rehabilitation. After the homeless have been tucked in the various evacuation centers and relief goods have been distributed, it was time for a more rigorous job of cleaning up the mess – the spoils of the water. The Mayor has assigned the General Services Office (GSO) to take care of collecting trash and soil. Additional manpower was hired to augment the GSO personnel divided into groups assigned to different areas in the city with concentration in hard-hit Jaro and Mandurriao Districts. Armed with shovels and baggies, hundreds were deployed as sludge busters. First in the order of battle are the major streets, then the schools which are expected to reopen next week, and the local villages and subdivisions.
With the help of the parents and teachers group, schools came up with their own clearing task force. Some got the help of students to clean up their class rooms. ‘Hope’ streamers are displayed on their fence – one reads Padayon Angelicum!
Electricity and Water. Another priority was the restoration of power and water supply. PECO was able to re-energize a large portion of the city but MIWD has yet to repair its main line busted by the avalanche of trees fell by the strong winds. Some however, suspected that the other trunks were cut by chainsaws. Tap water has to be rationed so that some areas shall have water at some time. The shortage of potable water has caused the Mayor to order all available water tankers to distribute water particularly in the affected areas. Thanks to the Municipality of Sipalay and the Province of Guimaras for the early response to provide additional water tankers. Water containers were also provided by the City for the residents to fetch and store enough quantity for their daily needs. The Mayor met with filtered water suppliers and ordered them to keep same low prices.
Water treatment facilities were made available including one from the Spanish government which also provided water cleansing pills and health kits. A team from Albay which got a similar assistance from Spain before, came to train locals how to operate the equipment. The 100-man Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) relief contingent complete with hauling and clearing equipment came to provide support using heavy-duty decloggers which could suck in sludge.
Relief Operation. Relief assistance came in throngs from governments – both national and foreign officials and institutions, civic and business organizations, humanitarian groups, media companies. Senators also came and gave rice and medicines. The Rotary and Lions Club served as intermediaries of some local and foreign aids. Chinese Filipino businessmen went around and distributed bags of rice, canned goods, plastic pails and drinking water. In spite of these, the supply cannot still meet the unusually large demand of victims crowding in evacuation centers and by the side of the roads fronting their muddled abodes.
It has been more than a week since that horrendous visit but people are still talking about it. They talked about their near-death encounters in the upsurge - how fast and deep the water rose, what remained of their homes, what was left of their household, how they climbed to the roof, and how they clung to the ropes to survive the onslaught. There were endless stories of the horrors of the water. Most horrible of all according to some evacuees were the oversized flies hovering over and attracted to the smell of dead meat. Dead animals may have been collected and properly disposed already but the abominable odor lingered in the flooded area.
Hygiene and Sanitation. These are critical considerations in a situation of water shortage and communal abodes. Evacuation centers are easy target for epidemics – influenza and other respiratory ailments, diarrhea and other intestinal problems, and water borne diseases. Children and old people are the most vulnerable. The City has deployed medical teams to every known refugee sites and issued list of essential medicines for donors to know what drugs are needed most.
Morale Boosters. Many of the flood victims need more than just food and clothes; they also need psychological boosters to help them cope with the bad and sad experiences. The recent Pacquiao win was expected to raise morale. Some well-meaning group is hatching up some sort of entertainment – a benefit concert, maybe, of big stars; or that of a local school arts guild to offer amusement. It could be food for the heart and the psyche.
Relocation Site. Evacuees are starting to feel uneasy with the thought that they do not have a house to return to. Most houses along the river and creek were completely damaged. The area is still deep in slush and smells pungent. The City plans to provide them with bamboo materials, to relocate them to the 16-hectare area in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro.
How safe would we be in the eventuality of another deluge, would now depend on how much we have learned from Frank.
Author: Ben Jimena [Hala Bira]
Published in The Daily Guardian, 4 July 2008
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