SUPER typhoon Maria (local name Gardo) will not make landfall in the Philippines, but its satellite image shows it's huge and can bring substantial rainfall and gusty winds. It's best to just stay out of the sea until it is out of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR). More importantly, let us all plan our activities outside the home.
Maria was located 1,625 km east of Northern Luzon outside PAR as of 4 p.m., Sunday, July 8. It had maximum sustained winds of 190 kph and a gustiness of up to 235 kph moving northwest at 23km/hour.
Cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms was forecast in Metro Manila, Mimaropa, Calabrzon, Western Visayas, and the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Bataan, and Zambales. The rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers with localized thunderstorms that can still bring possible flash floods or landslides due to light to moderate to at times heavy rains.
But with Davao weather, we can never be sure.
The other day, there was not much rain downtown, but northern residents realized too late that the portion of the highway crossing La Verna Hills Subdivision was flooded, trapping may between two to four hours.
In weather like this, anything can happen. Just be prepared. If you have a car, then waiting out the worst may be prudent. For commuters, then plot out your way home. At least, bring some drinking water to tide you over when the weather turns bad. It's never easy to be stranded. But it's easier to be stranded and dry than stranded and wet and with some water to quench the thirst.
Residents of flood-prone area should always monitor their surroundings and heed warnings. Many a time, residents would stay put in fear of robber breaking into their house. The sad reality is that, in doing so, they are putting the lives of rescuers in danger.
We cannot stress over and over again the need for cooperation. Yes, we have a world-class Quick Response Team, but we are also a city of 1.5-million people spread over 2,440 square kilometers, thus, it will help if all able-bodied citizens would just do their part and not add burden to the work of rescuers.