Last week, on September 28, 2006, typhoon “Xangsane” (locally called “Milenyo” here in the Philippines), wrecked havoc in Metro Manila. It was the first time in 11 years that a strong typhoon directly passed over the metropolis.
That morning, my wife and I had decided to stay home instead of going to work when we learned from the radio that Storm Signal number 3 has been raised over Metro Manila. Not exactly a super typhoon, but the winds would be strong enough. Our worry was not really how to get to work but how to get home from work. From past experience, going home during (or even after) a typhoon can be a very stressful experience. A 30 minute travel time can easily go up to 3 hours or more because of the lack of available public transport, traffic jams due to fallen trees and powerlines, and heavy flooding.
As the eye of typhoon came closer, the power went out. Luckiy, we still had a couple of battery powered radios at the house, so we knew what exactly what was going around in other places around Metro Manila. As we listned, we were thankful that we decided to stay home. Hearing reports about advertising billboards falling down on cars and buses isn’t exactly news you’d want to hear if you’re the one travelling. If that weren’t enough, hearing about big, strong rooted trees like mango trees beeing uprooted by this particular storm will make you wonder what type of destruction a super typhoon would bring. To think that the weather beaureu reported the typhoon even weakened as it neared the metropolis!
For about four or five hours, strong winds and heavy rain, was everywhere. The airport closed down, public transport was suspended, businesses and private offices sent employees home early. It was fortunate that suspension of classes in schools and work in government offices had already been announced the day before.
I guess we were lucky. Nothing was damaged at our house. The dwarf coconut trees managed to stand their ground. Our roof didn’t fly off. A couple of plant pots were on their side. A metal garden chair we store on the roof was blown to our neighbor’s roof.
That night the power was still out for a majority of the metropolis including our place. It wasn’t until the next day when my wife and I went to work that we saw the damage caused by “Milenyo”. The news we heard on the radio was now a reality. Felled trees, warped billboards, fallen billboards, power posts on their sides — it was unbelievable and terrifying. How can the wind fold the metal from a billboard as if it were nothing more that a piece of wire? How can strongly rooted trees be pulled out the ground as if it were a young plant?
We can’t even begin to imagine the damage in the provinces where mudslides, landslides and flooding occurred.
It has been almost a week now since Milenyo hit. At last count, about 200 people are dead, mostly in the provinces hit by the storm. Electricity hasn’t been fully restored. At our place, it wasn’t until five days after the storm that the power was restored.
Everyone will surely remember “Milenyo” for years to come. It may not have been a super typhoon but it had brought destruction, suffering, and death. In that sense, it was super enough for most of us.