Adequate warnings
Typhoon Lando has made landfall at Aurora province. As early as Saturday night, I could already hear the wind howling outside the house. Trees were swaying and bending to almost breaking point, and unsecured doors were slamming inside the house. Some trees on Taft Avenue and Roxas Blvd. were actually felled by the strong winds, making several lanes impassable. It was raining, but not the rain that was feared would inundate the Metro. It did rain a lot in Aurora, causing landslides that effectively isolated several towns. Clearing operations began as soon as reports of the landslides came in as isolation is not something a town wants in times of calamity.
But as of this writing, no reports of fatalities or injuries have been reported. This is good considering the government strives for a "zero casualty" rate. Adequate warnings to those living in flood-prone or low-lying areas were heeded, with evacuations going smoothly. A state of calamity is being mulled by the local government, to make funds available for clearing operations and whatever else the typhoon may continue to bring. Typhoon Lando is moving quite slowly, but thankfully it has weakened upon hitting land.
Classes in all levels in several cities have already been suspended. The scheduled opening of the PBA, along with the two scheduled games in the UAAP were postponed due to the weather, much to the dismay of this basketball crazy country. Several flights were either delayed or cancelled, again because of the typhoon. Hopefully nobody dared to venture out to sea.
PAGASA did explain why Metro manila did not get as much rainfall as the other provinces. Since typhoon Lando hit the east coast, and the "amihan" or the northeast monsoon is in effect, the metro did not get as much rain being on the western side of Luzon. This is good news, after forecasts of continuous rain for six to twelve hours made many worried of a repeat of Ondoy.
The typhoon is expected to track northward, although at a very slow pace. It may continue to affect the country until Tuesday. As long as the howling winds are gone, and with just the right amount of rain to irrigate farms and fill up the dams of Luzon, then I guess it is all well and good. It may be too soon to tell, but I believe the country dodged a bullet this time, considering the strength of the typhoon as it was approaching the country. Adequate warnings and people heeding them may have made all the difference.
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