Riding the Wave of Climate Change

It may not be very long in the not-too-distant future when we’d say to a friend,”Come visit me sometime, and don’t forget to bring a snorkel with you.” Or a relative may give your phone a ring one day and say,”Come over and see the new kayak that my father bought and let’s take this out for a leisurely trip downtown.”

These statements may sound crazy and absurd, but could very well become true.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we have seen the devastation afflicted by tropical storms Ondoy (Ketsana), and Pepeng (Parma) on almost the entire Northern Philippines, including the greater Manila area. Experts and observers were one in declaring that those were the worst deluge to have hit the country in decades.

Until now, there are still several provinces in the north which are submerged in waist-deep waters, with other areas accessible only with a surfboard or a canoe. Ingenious minds have already started to adapt to the change in the scenery and in the environment. An image in the morning paper today showed a man riding a tricycle with extended forks and braces to keep himself and his passengers above water. Others have traded their cars and motorcycles for rubber boats and paddles.

The scary thing is that it won’t be at least another quarter before the Philippines says goodbye to rainy weather and embrace the warmth of summer. Even then, it is not a guarantee that we will not see raindrops fall when summer comes, given the recent trend of climate changes and unpredictable weather.

The local weather station has already warned that at least another five to ten more typhoons are expected to hit the country before we usher in the new year. It also recently reported that the seven dams which had also contributed to the Luzon flooding are still above normal water levels and are still in “spilling condition.”

All these information suggests that the current situation in the north is not about to change anytime soon.   Unscathed regions in the south should not be complacent, either.  The deluge that inundated much of Luzon could very well be experienced in other unaffected areas in Central and Southern Philippines, what with the similar state of environmental degradation and antiquated waterways and drainage systems.  All it takes is a slight shift in the climate and a change in the wind direction.

So don’t be surprised if I call you one day and say,”Drop by our house and I’ll show you around our neighborhood in my brand new rubber boat.”