Typhoon Ketsana / Ondoy

I am a member of a massive forum based in the Philippines and this is how I found out about the massive flooding in Manila.

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Could it be an opportunity for better urban planning and development and relocation options for the Squatters living by the riverbanks? If something like this can comes up, I would love to hear more about it. We are a country of geniuses, I'm sure we can put our heads together to work on a better plan (contigency or otherwise).

I mean, please correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't Los Angeles sit on a major floodplain but hey have developed waterways to steer the flood away from the city? Is it possible to obtain some blue prints w/ how they do it? It will create jobs too .... from research, development, contractors, construction etc.

Or Sacramento or the delta area - maybe I'm being naive but , is it possible to learn from their urban planning strategies and development ?

New Orleans is different though, it's shaped like a bowl and when the leeves broke Lake Ponchotrain had no where else to go and then it just stopped when it reached equilibrium, the only way for the water to recede is for it to get pumped back to the lake.


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I hope everyone is well, I am saddened by this tragedy as most of us are...

When bad weather, a densely populated area in a floodplain, and not enough resources come together, it is a recipe for disaster. That is the sad reality of our situation. However, I still stand firm on my position that we should see this as an opportunity for us , as I've mentioned in my previous post. An opportunity to reevaluate our flooplain management procedures, urban planning and development and relocation alternatives for squatters. Our best resources are the talents of our community of Scientists, Engineers, Policiticians, Contractors etc to work together to better manage floods such as this (and its devastating aftermath). The loss of lives and property damage can be staggering. I do not envy the position of leaders who are faced with the challenge of rebuilding - especially on very limited resources.

The river channels and tributaries took too much rainfall , it seems that the are residents along the riverbanks dumping their crap on the water can be incidental and I've often wondered if it would've made a difference anyway and is it possible that the reason why they were affected was because they were located in a floodplain or is it a combination of both?

In a way, it united all of us as a community and it has inspired me to reach out in my own way. If there is a thread for Flood Relief , please let me know.