Date:
June 2003
Rainy Days and Mondays
As
though right on cue, the days of hot dry weather
came to an abrupt ending last weekend and
the rainy season broke on Manila aided and
abetted by Tropical Storm Chedeng which left
at least 41 people dead as it cut its leisurely
path through Luzon. Heavy flooding was reported
from several areas of Luzon and in Metro Manila
where government offices were closed for a
part of the week at the height of the storm.
Hardest hit were the provinces in the Cordilleras
and other areas of Central Luzon. Total damage
to farm and fisheries in the area totaled
some P72.3 million. In Pangasinan damage was
estimated at P51.25 million, in Zambales P8.17
million and Bulacan P5.02 million. Much of
the damage occurred in aquaculture. Rice and
corn crops had been recently harvested and
damage in those areas was minimal.
The storm has caused an immediate and significant
increase in the price of agricultural products.
The rain is continuing.
With the advent of the rainy season, the Department
of Health has warned of the danger of outbreaks
of disease such as dengue, cholera and diarrhea.
In the Philippines, the rainy season traditionally
lasts from June until November and coincides
with the start of the southwestern monsoon
and a shift in the wind patterns from northeast
to southwest.
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