May those who survived the disaster recovered quickly.

Please don't stop reporting on this. Hurricane Katrina dumped over 1" of rainfall in 3 hours & another 0.5"/hour over next 5 hrs. Typhoon Ketsana dumped average 2.24"/hour for 6hrs & still going. This is how bad it is (please donate: Unicef, Red Cross, WFP.org):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcbTckGR-1o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKTxsU2P3AA

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=139106284801&h=vYgYq&u=9mYAV&ref=mf

We're in dire need: hundreds of thousands displaced and hundreds dying; relief workers can't get to many because the floods are still bad.

This was much more devastating than the hurricane Katrina of the US so you better ask the rich / highly industiralized / powerful United States of America the same question.

Four days after the rains, tens of thousands still endure waist deep flooding, especially in communities around Laguna Lake. Philippine government officials have refused to open the floodgates that drain the lake into Manila Bay through the Pasig River, fearing that the Presidential Palace, which rests on a low lying area along the banks of the river, will be inundated. The Arroyo administration has not only been inept; it is quite literally damming up floodwaters at the expense of tens of thousands of Filipinos!

The following are comments from my client in Manila:
This typhoon named “Ondoy” had hit us so bad. The eye of the typhoon was centered to Manila, Rizal Provinces & Quezon.. & we are situated in Rizal. You just can’t imagine how devastated we are now. It was so rueful that a lot had suffered especially the small children. Too many people has been stranded to areas where there were no food, no water, no celfone signals, almost no hope. Electric supply was shut down to some areas for couple of days & to some areas, there is no supply until now. A lot needs medicines, food, water & clothes… & although a lot has already reached out & donated, I don’t think it will be sufficient. The way I see it, everybody here is equal now. No more rich, no more poor… as everybody was a victim.
I am glad my family was safe. Although my husband had traumatically suffered & been stranded to a building due to this tragedy, he surpasses the test.
We are now one in hoping & praying that everybody will surpass this torment. Local news has announced that another typhoon is yet to hit Manila this weekdays… I just hope this wouldn’t be as bad as “Ondoy”.Thanks for your concern! Please pray for my countrymen.

this is no time to be pointing fingers at anyone.. no one could have prepared for this unexpected calamity..
typhoons are a constant occurrence in the philippines to the point that it has become part of our way of life.. and we have all been caught unprepared for something unthinkable such as this massive flooding in the country's capital.. having lived in manila for several years flooding in some areas of the capital is pretty much normal, i didn't realise the magnitude of this flooding until i saw the pictures on cnn..The amount of rainfall that manila received last saturday wasn't normal and any country used to storms and typhoons would've been caught off guard by something way out of the ordinary..

I don't think the Philippine government could have done any better even if they were very well prepared. No one can escape the fury of nature! No mattered how prepared we are, the damages of these types of natural disasters (extreme weather conditions) can not be avoided. It is just so disconerting that people always blame the government for something that is beyond human control.

Its so sad...My country now was sooooo much in problem.....Please help.......

Power has been restored in most parts, only a few neighborhoods are still in a state of no electricity. Mostly, these are the parts of the Manila that are still submerged in flood water. Officials fear that restoring power before the water is completely drained would result in more casualties, seeing as how a number of power line were affected during the typhoon.

We thank you for all the international support and coverage. We are a resilient people. We will get back up.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council in the Philippines was a disaster. We have to ask help from NGO's like the Red Cross to rescue our family and friends.

... No one can escape the fury of nature! No MATTER how prepared we are, the damages . . .

Yes, unluckily we have a President like Gloria M. Arroyo!

It's a sad fact, but the Philippines doesn't prepare or plan for anything – especially the all-too-frequent natural disasters that beset it. The Filipino attitude is "God will provide" and this learned helplessness is so deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche that the country has failed to make progress compared to its neighbors. It relies on overseas remittances from those of its people dynamic enough to leave their country. I fear for the future of the Philippines. It's falling further to the bottom of tahe Third World, and to think that after the end of WW2, it was the most dynamic and strongly growing country in Asia. What mismanagement over the past 6 decades of a country with a vast potential!

I partially agree with what the article says.

Yes, the government is responsible for the people, for making sure all drainage and sewage are unclogged, and all.

Hundreds died, billions of properties were destroyed, and immeasurable effects were left to those who lost their loved ones.

At this point in time, I comment about an article written by a foreigner about our country which reflects how we are as a nation.

We were not left with hungry people, muddy road, wrecked houses. But people die (it's just that many died unexpectedly and in tragic way), money can be earned, material things can be replaced. At this point in time, the tragedy also brought the best out of Filipinos.

I would like the world to know that in the middle of this tragedy, it is overwhleming to see people hold ach other's hand to help our brothers and sisters - swam to save lives, shared our last peso to our people for clothes, water, and food. Rich and poor opened their homes to shelter the homeless, set aside government issues, difference in religion and beliefs...and even died to save our fellow countrymen.

It was nature getting back at what each of us contributed...it's climate change. I am glad to share with you that Filipinos do not point fingers to the GMA nor to the local government official who is directly overseeing its unit.

It's a call for us to review our lifestyle and our values.

I really appreciate the concern and the attention given. I also hope, how we (Filipinos) help each other as a nation in this time of trial will not be neglected.

Filipinos was known for the People Power back in the 80's...I saw that again this time.

Hope you visit us...we need volunteers and beautiful hearts. Even if we lost our homes, our loved ones, we'll pay you...with a laugh or a smile...those you won't see in pictures of chaos.

I partially agree with what the article says.

Yes, the government is responsible for the people, for making sure all drainage and sewage are unclogged, and all.

Hundreds died, billions of properties were destroyed, and immeasurable effects were left to those who lost their loved ones.

At this point in time, I comment about an article written by a foreigner about our country which reflects how we are as a nation.

We were not left only with hungry people, muddy road, wrecked houses. But people die (it's just that many died unexpectedly and in tragic way), money can be earned, material things can be replaced. At this point in time, the tragedy brought the best out of Filipinos.

I would like the world to know that in the middle of this tragedy, it is overwhleming to see people hold ach other's hand to help our brothers and sisters - swam to save lives, shared our last peso to our people for clothes, water, and food. Rich and poor opened their homes to shelter the homeless, set aside government issues, difference in religion and beliefs...and even died to save our fellow countrymen.

It was nature getting back at what each of us contributed...it's climate change. I am glad to share with you that Filipinos do not point fingers to GMA nor to the local government official who is directly overseeing its unit.

It's a call for us to review our lifestyle and our values.

I really appreciate the concern and the attention given. I also hope, how we (Filipinos) help each other as a nation in this time of trial will not be neglected.

Filipinos was known for the People Power back in the 80's...I saw that again this time.

Hope you visit us...we need volunteers and beautiful hearts. Even if we lost our homes, our loved ones, we'll pay you...with a laugh or a smile...those you won't see in pictures of chaos.

Where the hell is the INTERNATIONAL AID these people need. Where is the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Austraila.
What are they doing? I heard the United States gave 5 rubber rafts and a helicopter. If that is true, then I feel sorry for the people of the Philippines who on hundreds of occasions, sacrificed their lives for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!They need help now, not tomorrow.

Its really heart breaking to see some images on television and internet. Im here overseas and its really bad i was not able to help for relief operation. My cousins is living in Marikina and all there valuable things has been wiped out by the massive flooding. There area are the most affected. The good news is my family members is safe. But the problem now is how can they get to start again, years of working in their company and saving money to buy those household appliances and necessities . Its really disappointing to know that how many millions is the population of the Philippines yet NDCC has only 15 to 20 rubber roats, while spending millions in foreign trips and white elephants with biggest funding projects and half of it is being kept in their pocket.

Now that election is on their way, I suggest the international community for their donations to send directly to those affected residents and or in media affiliate foundation so that the donations will go directly to the victims and not to the pocket of this corrupt government official especially malacanang.Its 100% sure that this current government will use the donations for funding of his choosen predecessor Presidential bid.

regarding the percieved slowness of the philippine government in providing relief for the victims. it would be best to consider that the initial floodings have submerged and damaged most of the vehicles used by the various affected local government units. thus rendering them unusable for a few days at best. this is further compounded by the decision of the victims not to leave their submereged for fear of it being looted (as what happened in provident village, marilkina city).

i am one of the few eastern orthodox catholic faithful (and clergy) that have volunteered in extending relief in the affected areas of pasig city and adjacent areas of the eatern rizal towns of cainta and taytay.

proactive and not reactive response is needed during this time. can the international community provide transports to make possible the delivery of relief goods. there are many food and wtare donors. but not enough transport.

in the spirit of fairness, i am hopeful this comment shall be made known to all concerned international parties.

"THEY SAID..."

a) They said... that this was something unprecedented and nobody could have expected this much amount of rainfall. However, this kind of flooding happened in Cagayan de Oro a few months back, in Iloilo a year ago and in Ormoc (flash flood) some years ago and yet, nobody raised the question, "Are we prepared if something like this happened in Metro Manila?". If only the doppler radars (they were supposed to install 10 units until 2010), which were supposedly included in the budget since 2007, were installed, we could have seen a better outcome. If only the bill for an improved disaster protocol, which was submitted to the NDCC in May 2009 for their comment, was addressed immediately, the problem on insufficient equipment for disaster rescue operation would not have been a problem at all.

b) They said... that they fared better than the US during Katrina. First of all, Katrina happened in New Orleans, which is relatively far from the logistical resources of your country, ours happened at the very heart of our country where our final and supposedly best line of defense (for natural and man-made threats) is situated. Second, if not for the efforts of the NGOs and private sector, perhaps, we would still be in a far more unimaginable state. And now, they are competing with the NGOs and the private sector for donations. They don't need to do this since they should have allocated a part of the national budget for this.

c) They said...that it was hard to facilitate the rescue operation because of the many "choke points" hence, the delay. This should have already been accounted for and integrated in our country's “Disaster Protocol”. Finally, if only a certain degree of “Political Will” could have been exercised in decongesting Metro Manila (at 617 sq. km, it has a population density of about 18,725 / sq. km) and implementing a more appropriate and sustainable Urban Planning, it would not have come to this. However, our leaders were more concerned in maintaining their vote base, i.e., the people living in shanties by the river banks and their "commission", which comes from the building permits that they sign to allow Housing Developments on the mountains of Metro Manila.

Our community in Libis Bulelak, Malanday, Marikina badly needs clean drinkable water, food, clothing and medicines. Also needs support to clean up debri since the foul smell of decaying mountains of trash which have littered the street starts to make people sick especially childrens!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! Please Pray for Us!

its sad to see a country dear to you crawling in poverty, suffering from disaster and being confused with games of politics.

I'm really upset about the lack of attention Typhoon Ondoy has received throughout the media. Since the news broke out, my wife and I were desperate to find updates of this disaster and the only way to find it was through the internet or go to another side of my family's house who has TFC (The Filipino Channel) to see the events. Luckily, with internet we were able to find some help and see all what happened. My wife was worried frantically about her parents who were stuck on their second floor. They were able to finally charge their cell phones only yesterday and get back to us. They were stuck on the second story of their house. The flood had reached to the ceiling of the first floor. They are both retired Amercian Citizens, my father-in-law, a retired U.S. Navy. They are now in desperate need of financial help due to this typhoon. They have been helping my family as I struggle to keep two jobs and go to school, now I insist on helphing them. We are both really upset with the lack of any news in regards to this typhoon. But for some reason American Somoa had so much support and coverage and the possibility of getting 8 to 25 inch tsunami waves might hit the west coast of our nation?! My prayers to those that were hit hard there, but more to the country that didn't get much attention and very little help in the Philippines.

water was everywhere – it destroyed properties and killed a lot of people, but now that the tragedy is over, clean drinking water is nowhere to be found in the affected areas: and again, this time killing even more people during the aftermath. it's so ironic how a president can spend thousands of pesos for bottles of wines abroad but cannot deliver 20pesos worth of bottled water to those who are dying.

I was shocked by the devastation done. but not shocked by the inutile response of the government (Opposition or Ruling). they're just the same. nothing is new. It was routine for them. an inutile response then ask for help. Typical!

@ Kenneth Sanders. The US has given over US $100,000 and your ambassador has personally been helping our country. We are truly thankful for the aid provided by our friend and ally, the United States.

I have been wondering why towns in laguna are still flooded four days after the heavy rains. It has been sunny and dry for the last 3 days, yet....

That was until Richard Cavosora posted his comment above.

I'm totally speechless, my mind is filled with words and thoughts that I can't post here.

i waded, cold, dank, scary water with undercurrent. everywhere i looked water. took me four hours to get home before it went dark. i worried for my friends still out in the dark trying to get home to families maybe wading in the waters again. i was so tired i cleaned up tossed off wet clothes not caring where they fell, then i lay down weighed by the commute, struggling against the fast flowing currents, heavy hearted over my friends. no calls from distant relatives. no power on. blackout. couldnt even muster the strength to rail at the government, i didnt care. i just wanted everyone safe. i drifted off to sleep listening to accounts of the fast rising waters engulfing so much and so many. i just thought god please take care of us. i looked at my only daughter safe with me. the first floor of the condo of my unit was drenched by water that seeped through the windows. the cats were tiptoeing around the wet spots. i was filled with indescribable, paralyzing dread thinking how much of the country would be suffering, in pain. how do we recover?

we must not keep on blaming the government .maybe blame them on other things...but people must also do their part..and climate change is also because of people....what we must do now is help the victims...

This type of natural calamity has been happening ever since God knows. Even if the the people of the Phils were prepared, they wouldn't escape the wrath of nature. No one here is to blame but the way the earth/world is being treated by all countries alike. We have changed the way the ecosystem/climate/ozone and so forth that the earth is actually reacting by purging what was done. It is all up to the people of the world to contribute and change of whats left from from this day on.

Wake Up!! To the people of the world we live in!!

Let everyone be responsible for their actions. Remember those candy wrappers you threw on the street? and the plastic bags and garbage left on the street corner? How about the neighbor throwing in the river every piece of junk so does not have to haul away? They are clogging the esteros. And then some blame the government.Hmmn..