As you guys can probably recall, the dust storms last week were pretty intense, and were the closest thing to a 'natural disaster' most of us have probably come close to.
I wish I could say the same thing about my extended family back home.
In the wake of the onslaught of the tropical storm, thousands of residents were stranded on their rooftops and others hung on to makeshift floaters as they waited to be rescued.
Saturday's disaster saw Ondoy drop the heaviest rain in more than 40 years on Metro Manila and neighboring areas in Luzon.
The nine-hour deluge left some areas of Metro Manila, a sprawling city of 12 million people, under six meters (20 feet) of water.
Eighty percent of the city was submerged and some areas remained more than knee-deep in water on Monday. Local television reported that some people remained stranded on the second floors of their homes.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the official death toll stood at 86, with another 32 people missing. He said more than 435,000 people had been displaced. –ANC; With a report from Agence France-Presse.
And there are probably plenty more than 86 dead. You see, in a 3rd world country like the Philippines, people aren't looked for. Especially not the millions of unregistered women, men and children who live in poverty in the heart of the cities, where the island was hardest hit.
There's really no such thing as 'home insurance' back there, especially if you live under an overpass or between trainlines.
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I'm not sure what I can do or what you guys can do either, but if you believe in a God, it would be nice to ask him for some help.
Thanks.
& that was my day.
