In an unexpected twist of nature, Typhoon Gaemi has turned the bustling Philippine capital into an impromptu water park. Schools, offices, and airports have taken an unscheduled break, giving the city’s 13 million residents a rare chance to navigate their streets by boat.
Gaemi, cheekily refusing to make landfall, decided to play puppet master with the seasonal monsoon rains, intensifying them to a dramatic degree. The result? A cityscape transformed, with rivers reclaiming streets and landslides adding an element of unpredictability to the urban terrain. The national disaster agency reports that at least 12 lives have been lost, and over 600,000 people have been compelled to temporarily relocate, seeking refuge from the watery onslaught.
The coastguard reported 260 passengers and 16 vessels stranded in ports. Meanwhile, the skies over Manila saw a rare reprieve from the usual air traffic, with 114 flights grounded.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stepped into the role of chief lifeguard, directing disaster relief agencies to rally to the aid of those marooned by the floods. Mayors of the 16 cities making up Greater Manila have put out a call for emergency funds.
In the riverside city of Marikina, scenes reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic movie unfolded as emergency workers navigated waist-deep waters, using rubber dinghies to rescue residents from their submerged homes. Churches, adorned with statues of Catholic saints, have become unexpected sanctuaries, offering dry ground and a modicum of peace amidst the chaos.
“We’ve got an impromptu swimming pool on the second floor,” quipped Ladylyn Bernas, an evacuee taking shelter in a nearby church. “Though it’s not quite the vacation we had in mind.” Social media has been abuzz with images of cars serenely floating down streets, as if participating in an impromptu aquatic parade.
The Philippines, no stranger to the caprices of tropical storms, usually faces about 20 such events annually, each bringing its own blend of floods and landslides. Typhoon Gaemi, or Typhoon Carina as it’s locally known, is just the latest reminder of nature’s unpredictable whimsy.
As Gaemi gathers strength and sets its sights on Taiwan, Manila begins the slow process of drying out and rebuilding, already looking ahead to the next time the heavens decide to turn the city into a maritime adventure park.
(Source: The Weather Channel | Bloomberg | Al Jazeera)
