Typhoon Maring and Habagat 2013

In the Philippines, the southwest monsoon nowadays is very ferocious. Last year alone, we did not expect the southwest monsoon to create a page—if not a book—in the history of the Philippines. The habagat or the southwest monsoon is an ordinary rainfall that is alternately happening after hanging amihan every semester. Habagat happens once a year but its scope is upto six months. Both amihan and habagat are ordinary winds that sometimes associated with heavy rainfall and thunder.

But last year, the perception of the filipinos to habagat changed. As it battered almost entire Luzon, habagat plummeted in parts of Luzon that left Central Luzon submerged and the ricefields inundated with tons of water. Now, habagat can be compared to a typhoon in terms of volume of water it drops.

Thousands of people in ballpark figure were affected by the typhoon since it started to pummel the metropolis and the suburban places on Sunday, August 18, 2013. Thus, the following morning, Malacañang ordered the suspension of classes in all private and public schools including work in the government in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Meanwhile, Manila City Hall was also one of the casualty of flooding. According to Mayor Erap Estrada, he should be given at least six months to address the flooding problem of the City Hall, other establishments and areas affected by perennial flooding problem in the city.

This event is the 3rd worst rainfall ever experienced since Ondoy and second from habagat in August 2012.The places in Manila which were greatly affected by the storm: Recto, United Nations Ave, Recto Ave., T.M. Kalaw and the stretch of Maria Clara near Dimasalang and places in other parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as the City of Valenzuela, Province of Meycauayan, Marilao and Bocaue which are the consistent recipient of flood year after year.That's why during the State of the Nation Address of the President, he stated the building of an underground draining system in Blumentritt to heavily drain the flood —out of the low lying areas in Metro Manila—to the sea.

However, in the morning of August 20, 2013, typhoon continued to intensify more severely that finally lead to another round of cancellation of classes and suspension of government work. On this day, many families were forcefully evacuated and many houses were already submerged by the fierce and uninterrupted effect of combine forces of Habagat and typhoon Maring. 

Even the toughest road at Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) was no match to the strength of habagat and Maring. Almost all Cities in Metro Manila had declared state of calamity to mete out funding of the affected families, crops and livelihood.

According to NDRRMC, the onslaught of habagat and Maring  affected 125, 000 people in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Cavite was listed as the province which was greatly affected by the attacked of Typhoon Maring and Habagat as per NDRRMCs estimation of rainfall thereat.

As of Sunday evening, 8 casualties and thousands of injured were recorded.

In totality, Typhoon Maring left a million of people devastated before it left the country at about 2pm on Wednesday, Augusts 21, 2013.