STORMS and typhoons are very much a part of our weather in the Philippines. We even choose to give Philippine names to those that affect our country, different from the international names recognized by the rest of the world.
Thus “Yolanda” which hit us in November, 2013, is known to the world as “Haiyan.” With its 300 kilometers-per-hour winds, it was the most powerful typhoon to hit land in recorded history. It killed 6,300 in the Philippines.
In the first four months of this year, we have not had any storms coming our way. Typhoon “Ambo” – known to every other country as “Vongfong” – was the first and it is already May. It first hit land in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar, last Thursday. It continued over our interisland waters, hit Dalupiri Island, then Capul Island, both in Northern Samar. It then crossed over to Ticao Island, then Burias Island, both in Masbate. It finally landed on San Andres, Quezon, and stayed in Luzon all the way north to Isabela, Cagayan, and Ilocos Norte. At 4 p.m. Saturday, it was located 110 kilometers north-northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, well on the way to the South China Sea.
“Ambo” killed at least two persons in Eastern Samar and Quezon and left the usual damage to the areas it hit, mostly to agriculture. The Department of Agriculture estimated the damage in Bicol at ₱79.9 million, with big losses in corn, rice, coconut, fruits and vegetables, and livestock. The typhoon caused the usual damage to roads, homes, and other buildings.
The rains brought by typhoon “Ambo” have, however, improved the water levels in our dams at a time of the year when they are at the lowest. The water level on Angat Dam which supplies most of Metro Manila’s water needs rose by 2.76 meters to 190.28 meters. The new level is 10.28 meters above the minimum operating level of 180 meters.
In two more weeks, we should see the start of the rainy season. That is when the “habagat” winds start blowing from the southwest, dumping rains on the western part of the country, including Metro Manila. The southwest monsoon season often is accompanied by storms and typhoons blowing from the east.
We expect many more storms and typhoons to come after “Ambo” in the coming months. There are so many letters of the alphabet before the powerful “X-Y-Z” typhoons such as “Yolanda” come around November.
They can cause considerable destruction, but we have come to accept them as part of the natural order of things in our country. We specially welcome them when we have hot summer seasons like the one we had last year and the one we are now having.
