Captured through Stormwatch, Ondoy and Pepeng remembered

By MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV

Published October 30, 2009 9:11pm

This unforgettably stormy year will hopefully also be remembered for the spirit of sharing by so many volunteers and donors. Among those things that people shared were their photos of what happened around them.

In Itogon, Benguet, "Pepeng" pummeled a steep hillside until part of it gave way, causing homes to crash into a deep ravine. Jonee Mejia

Hundreds of amateur and professional photographers contributed their pictures to Stormwatch, GMANews.TV's crowd-sourced image archive. Many were shown on television and used by GMANews.TV to illustrate news reports. The following is a selection of some of the more evocative pictures from Stormwatch, curated by GMANews.TV's Mark MerueÃ±as. A few of the senders were contacted, so the captions of their pictures also provide updates of the locations. As yet another storm, Typhoon Santi, makes landfall and blows through Luzon, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Stormwatch will be available to receive photos and videos that will transmit urgent information about communities that mass media has yet to reach. And when normalcy returns, the images will be added to the record of the stormy year that was.

The Salacop Bridge in Kapangan town in Benguet surrenders to the force of nature, crippling traffic in the area. A month after the destruction, the bridge has yet to be repaired and power has not been restored in most of Kapangan. "Ngayon natatakot kami baka umulit ang landslides dahil kay Santi," says sender Jonah Balao

Mudslides in Benguet bury residential houses and vehicles. Eliza Consul

Heavy rains brought by Pepeng cause this elementary school in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija to be submerged in chest-deep water. Albert Reguyal

Rescuers race against time to bring residents of Carmay West in Rosales, Pangasinan out of harm's way during Pepeng's onslaught. Anonymous sender

Suffering from lepto-infested waters, families in Pasig City end up enduring long queues to get relief goods. Jhon Paul del Rosario

Pepeng leaves a community in La Trinidad in ruins. Eliza Consul

Many schools were closed because of flood damage, like the Parian Este Elementary School in Bauang, La Union. Analyn dela Cruz

Teachers are left with no place to hold classes and no students to teach. Analyn dela Cruz

Enterprising residents in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija create makeshift taxis for flooded streets. Albert Reguyal

Usiseros and rescuers form a crowd along Bokawkan Road in Baguio City on October 12 after one of dozens of landslides in the Cordillera mountain range. Medical sales representative Alexander Cenzon says 14 houses were damaged in the area and 23 bodies were retrieved from the rubble. "But everything is back to normal here," says Cenzon, three weeks after he took this photo.

Amid Pepeng's heavy downpour, rescue operations continue in La Trinidad, Benguet. Gloria Cosme

Mining in Sitio Luneta in Itogon, Benguet created this crater which became a lake at the height of Pepeng. Rafael Mejia

Floods triggered by Pepeng swallow a subdivision in San Fabian, Pangasinan. Pablo Erfe

Even after a flood, the colors recall the joy at the Naguilian Elementary School in La Union. Sharon Estepa

A subdivision in Villasis, Pangasinan is submerged in water dumped by Pepeng. Shaun Anak Siup

Rescuers look for survivors beneath a collapsed structure in La Trinidad, Benguet. Eliza Consul

Carolyn Castrillo, who took this photo in Cabuyao, Laguna observes Filipinos attempt alternative livelihood amid the worst flooding in decades..

Raging muddy waters churn through portions of Calamba in Laguna at the height of Storm Ondoy. Clara Espinosa

City Camp in Baguio City shows how poor drainage is in the mountain resort city after Pepeng's rains. Eliza Consul

- GMANews.TV

Tags: ondoy, pepeng, pangasinanflood, imreadytagulan, ondoyflood