Cyclones. Hurricanes. Typhoons. Confusing terminologies right? You might be wondering which is which and how one is formed. Nowadays, we often hear the weather reports mention about such terms in a very confusing way. Hence, we usually hear people interchangeably use these terms and often feel uncertain as to which term fits the situation. But believe it or not, they are all Synonymous!
Tropical Dilemma
According to scienceray.com, a typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Since geographically, the Philippines is the western border of the Pacific, the country is the first stop of most typhoons. Hence, the Philippines receives moderate amount of rainfall and according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geothermal and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), an average of 19 typhoons visit the country annually.
Tropical cyclones form when warm water from the ocean evaporates and condenses. When warm water evaporates, it increases the humidity of the atmosphere. Being warm and moist, air rises up in the atmosphere following the principles of thermodynamics. As it moves upward and condenses, it releases heat energy which later turns into a mechanical energy that increases the wind velocity. The energy from condensation also pushes the storm clouds upwards which speeds up the condensation. When the condensation rate increases (and the energy it release also increases), air is pushed away from the center forming a “Low Pressure Area”. When this low-pressure area matures and gathers enough storm clouds, thunderstorm starts. The influx of warmth and moisture from the underlying ocean surface is critical for strengthening of the tropical cyclone. Hence, the greater amount of warm moisture it gathers, the stronger the typhoon becomes. When a tropical cyclone crosses the coastline (a phenomenon called “landfall”) and travels by land, the amount of moisture it gathers significantly decreases. Hence, typhoons are stronger in the coastal areas and weaken as it goes inland or through areas with low temperature. When a typhoon gathers enough cool moisture, it slowly weakens and becomes a low pressure area.
Tropical cyclones travel with the ocean current. When it reaches the land and becomes a typhoon, it follows the direction of the wind and a pattern called Coriolis Effect, which is affected by the Earth’s rotation.
Sendong Detected
Despite the allegations hurled against PAGASA, the weather agency defended itself by claiming that the forecasts on Sendong were delivered on time and that the weather monitoring was right on track. According to batangastoday.com, PAGASA issued warning as early as December 13 about the upcoming storm. The agency even called for a press conference the day before storm Sendong reached the Philippine vicinity to announce the areas, which will be possibly hit. Days before Sendong’s landfall, the weather bureau raised public storm warning into signal number two in fifteen areas in Visayas and Mindanao.
When Nature Claims
According to the native residents of Cagayan de Oro City, the areas greatly affected by the flood were once part of the great river. The riverbank where shanties were built was once part of the wide riverbed of Cagayan River. Because of soil erosion brought about by illegal logging and mining and the development of subdivisions, silt from the mountain slopes of Bukidnon and remote areas of Cagayan de Oro was eroded and deposited to the riverbed. The vegetations and trees, which used to hold the soil firmly, are now developed into subdivisions and quarries, leading to the direct downpour of rainwater and mud from the mountains to the lowlands. Due to the water current, silt is displaced to areas where water is calm. The deposition of soil formed some part of Barangay Macasandig, Carmen, Kauswagan and other towpath neighborhoods including the four islets at the river mouth - Isla Delta, Isla de Oro, Isla Bugnao and Isla Cupa in Barangay Consolacion.
Because of constant deposition of mountain silt and sand from the sea, Cagayan River got shallow as time goes by. When rainwater from the mountains floods the already narrow and shallow river, it is expected that the river will overflow and reclaim its original path. Hence, the shanties built over loose soil formed by deposited silt are the ones primarily washed out.
Political Intervention
With death tolls rising to almost 1,500, the local government with the aide of several non-government organizations and businesses started the rehabilitation plans for the flood victims. The local government of Cagayan de Oro already declared Isla de Oro and other risky areas as inhabitable. To insure that the victims will not go back to repair their homes, police officers were deployed to watch over the inhabitable areas. Pres. Benigno “Pnoy” Aquino Jr., during his visit even ordered the local government not to issue housing permits to these flood prone areas.
The local government already has plans to relocate the flood victim to vacant areas in Barangay Canitoan. Plans of putting up high-rise condominiums for the victims are already on going. However, since the relocation cannot be implemented until the housing projects are finished in six months, the flood victims remain homeless until then.
To help the flood victims rehabilitate and have decent quarters, the Department of Health proposed family hosting program. In their program, able families who can adopt a family of flood victims will receive a cash voucher wherein half of which will be used to meet the adopted family’s needs. The House of the Representatives also agreed to donate 1 million php from their pork barrel to aide the victims. Some senators and congressmen even agreed to donate part of their monthly salary for the rehabilitation of the flood victims.
The government already did their part and contributed their share. As civilians, may we rekindle the spirit of bayanihan in rehabilitating our City of Golden Friendship.
