OFFBEAT MAIL

For the first time, New York City was put to a standstill as superstorm Sandy continues to breeze through in some eastern parts of the United States. Many couldn't believe but most streets of New York City were found to be empty of people and vehicles, transforming it into a ghost metropolis, as most residents stayed in their homes for safety. At this developed, Wall Street already lost huge amount of stock market transactions as the New York Stock Exchange stopped its regular trading days. Alone, New York City incurred an estimated $20 billion in financial losses. Mostly affected was New York's Queens Borough district. Power has been shut off, too. In New Jersey, where the superstorm made its first landfall, the levee was already destroyed, thus forcing many affected residents to evacuate to safer grounds. Most parts of the metropolis have been inundated. Weather forecasts said superstorm Sandy has a packing wind of 105 mph and is heading towards Pennsylvannia. There a...

The strong typhoons that hit some parts of the Philippines late this year were testaments to the unquestionable tempest of nature’s fury. In fact, these had resulted to the loss of many lives and brought extensive damages to properties and agricultural lands worth billions of pesos. Eventually, these natural calamities gave trauma to many Filipinos, especially those whose houses are still under water in Central Luzon. Yet, many of us continue to ignore the signs of dangers, especially during the rainy season, when most water tributaries would have the tendency to overflow during heavy downpours. As gleaned from news reports, most of the victims and fatalities were reportedly living along or close to the rivers and creeks, where debris, effluents, flotsam and water hyacinths are abundant because of the dwellers’ uncaring attitude toward the environment. Obliviously, they make the water tributaries their depots for wastes, instead of throwing them where these garbage are supposed to...

The non-stop torrential rains that brought Metro Manila to a standstill had slowly subsided, my relatives said. They said the sun has finally come out to shower the flooded streets with its golden rays. But for me, it isn't enough to dry up the surface and extinguish the fears that still grip most Filipinos whose households were submerged under water. All we could blame were the monsoon rains that continuously poured over most parts of central and northern Luzon areas. As weather officials said in a broadcast, there was no typhoon but a low pressure area far away from the Philippines.  The typhoon was headed to Taiwan and Mainland China, where some 250,000 were already affected as the typhoon made a landfall, a newswires agency said. Accordingly, people have started picking up the pieces. In some areas in Marikina City, where most of the barangays were heavily inundated, many of the displaced residents begin returning to their homes. "I'm sure, there will be a lot ...

My worst fear came on Tuesday when heavy rains continuously pounded most parts of central and northern Luzon in the Philippines. Hence, heavy flooding had paralyzed Metro Manila and other outlying areas. Consequently, the national government had ordered the suspension of classes in all levels and workers in public and the private sectors were instructed to go home. Likewise, many vehicles were stuck along the roads and highways. Many people were stranded as the vehicles they're riding got stuck along the flooded highways. Weather officials said the situation was a repeat of a strong typhoon named "Ondoy"  which hit the country in 2009. Surprisingly, the heavy rains were not brought by any  typhoon at all. Instead, there was another typhoon that was spotted very far from the Philippines' area of responsibility. But it's already closing in on Taiwan, weather officials said. The Philippines Weather Bureau confirmed in a broadcast invterview that  the heavy do...