by Ram Maxey
WHEN places in Davao City like Matina Crossing, Matina Aplaya and Matina Pamhi were hit by a killer flashflood on June 29 this year, the damage to property and the number of fatalities—31—shocked even the most staid Dabawenyo. How could such a thing happen in their beloved city, one of the most livable in the country, if not in the whole of Asia? It was unthinkable.
In retrospect, little do those who reside in the area realize at the time how lucky they were to survice. Less than five months later, in the dead of night last December 16, mother nature unleashed its full fury on parts of Northern Mindanao—particularly the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan—where flashfloods triggered by unusually heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Sendong ravaged whole communities.
As the rest of the country, nay, even the world watched aghast, transfixed by the running television coverage of Sendong’s fury, the images seemed surreal. The rampaging torrents had smashed houses like they were made of toothpicks. Vehicles of all types looking like so many toy cars were piled up in various positions of suspended animation, candidates for the scrap heap. Scattered all over the ravaged landscape were hundreds of illegally cut logs that had smashed into houses and crushed bodies of victims. Corpses of what were once upon a time warm bodies full of life, now cold in death, were strewn every which way awaiting identification and decent burial. On the third daythe stench of death filled the air.
At last count, the death toll was estimated at not less than one thousand overall—and counting if one takes into account the hundreds of victims still missing—even entire families. A pall of gloom was everywhere, grim reminder that what had transpired was for real.
Everywhere in the world there have been grim reminders the past few years of what scientists call “climate change” or “global warming”. Whatever. Our own “experts” continue to scare us with their prediction of more weather tantrums, be it drought in certain places or more excess rains in other areas of the archipelago. Scary scenarios of what the future has in store for us. Unless mankind does something drastic to avert what today seems inevitable.
Nearer to home, perhaps there is a need for our leaders to take stock of our surroundings. That June 29 disaster for example. Until our City Council repeals the law in physics that mandates water to seek its own level, such low areas like Matina Pangi, Matina Aplaya and Matina Crossing remain in the path of another flashflood should it rain cats’n dogs like what happened in June. While many of the victims of that flashflood have relocated elsewhere, those who have stayed put don’t have any guarantee that there will be no repeat of that occurrence. Because water seeks its own level, such low-lying areas are a constant invitation to disaster should the weather act up again and dump two or millions of tons of rain and swell the Pangi River once again.
You think that won’t happen? Better think again before it’s too late. It’s not only lightning that strikes twice in the same place. Better to be sure than sorry is no tired cliché.
