Manila Flooding Could Trigger Quakes

The Wrath of Ketsana

The wrath of Ketsana in the Philippines may not have ended.

Torrential rainfall caused by TS Ketsana, which resulted in epic flooding throughout western Luzon, may lead to yet another deadly hazard: Earthquakes.

Millions of tons of floodwater, massive landslides and unprecedented volumes of mud avalanches flowing in western Luzon could lead to regional  ‘climate-triggered’ earthquakes measuring about 4.5 Mw.

Ketsana, strengthened to typhoon force, is heading toward Vietnam

Typhoon Ketsana – Rainbow Enhancement satellite image – still image. To update and enlarged, click on the image. Source: NOAA/NHC/NWS

A handout photo released by the Philippine Air Force shows aerial view of flooded areas in Marikina City in northeastern Manila, Philippines, 27 September 2009. Up to 200 people have been killed with many reported missing as tropical storm Ketsana battered a wide area in Luzon, Philippines, dumping record rainfall (549 mm reported in one area)  on the capital that caused the worst flooding in living memory.  Thousands of people spent the night on the roofs of their submerged houses in Manila and surrounding provinces. The government weather bureau said the rainfall recorded in Manila was the city capital’s ‘greatest’ amount of rain since 1967. EPA/REY BRUNA/PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE/HO [Caption Monsters & Critics, edited by FEWW.] More Photos Posted Here!

The weather prospects don’t look too good for Vietnam, and China’s Hainan Island. Both areas seem to have an uneasy week ahead of them. However, the worst of Ketsana may yet strike Thailand and Myanmar.

Image from NASA TRMM – Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

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Philippines: Worst Floods in Living Memory

New Round of Floods Claim More Lives

Philippines Government Declares “State of Calamity” in Manila and nearby provinces, after Storm causes widespread flooding

At least 14 people are dead or missing as a typhoon with 100km winds makes landfall causing widespread flooding in the main Island of Luzon, Philippines. The storm was named both ‘Ondoy’ and tropical storm ‘Ketsana.’

Commuters wade through waist-deep floodwaters following heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy) Saturday Sept. 26, 2009 in Manila, Philippines. At least five people have been killed after nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in just six hours Saturday, triggering the worst flooding in the Philippine capital in 42 years, stranding thousands on rooftops in the city and elsewhere as Tropical Storm Ketsana slammed ashore. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez). Image may be subject to copyright.

Although more than 20 typhoons and storms formed in the Pacific Ocean hit the Philippines every year, causing floods throughout the country, the latest round of deluge in the capital, which resulted from storm-driven heavy rains, were said to be the worst in living memory.

A father and child were killed when a wall collapsed on them in Manila, while four other children were reportedly drowned in flooding  elsewhere in the city.

About 2,000 people were forced to take refuge in evacuation centers, as  rising waters threatened their homes, according to civil defense officials.

A local weather forecasters was quoted as saying that about a month’s worth of rain fell on the capital in just 6 hours. Many areas of the capital were flooded, with the water levels reaching the rooftops of single-storey buildings.

About 13.4 inches (34.1 centimeters) of rain fell on metropolitan Manila in just six hours, close to the 15.4-inch (39.2-centimeter) average for the entire month of September. The previous record was 13.2 inches (33.4 centimeters) recorded during a 24-hour period in June 1967, chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said. —AP

In Cainta, located in the Rizal province, many residents had to climb onto rooftops to escape floodwater. According to the local mayor: “The whole town is almost 100 percent underwater.”

Civil defense officials and weather forecaster said they were completely surprised: “We knew there would be rain but not like this,” one forecaster said.

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