Then comes the flooding. Which is the case today (August 7, 2012) for probably, most part of the Metro Manila area. As I write this post, I’m praying that all my “kababayans” out there, especially those in the areas affected by the floods, are still safe and be reached on time by the government’s help and rescue team.

Well, this is nothing unusual, I’ve personally experienced it when I was still a child (around mid 80s) living in Sampaloc area in Manila. For those familiar and from the area, it’s already expected to be flooded whenever it rains and depending how hard and long the rain lasts, then it can be an instant free swimming pool for kids. And as you get closer to the railway, the flood will be an adult pool level by then. So depending how close you are from the railway, the flood level varies. It’s just my funny way of looking at it back then. My simple understanding that, it was due to deforestation and our irresponsible garbage disposal (system, if it was already existing back then), that clogged our sewers. That may still be true today, as old habits are hard to change. And that’s another (long) story.

Going back, according to MMDA, at least 90% of Metro Manila is flooded. And I don’t see that changing should a hard and continuous rain hits again (praying that this current one, stops soon). It got me thinking, if flooding is already given (during rainy season) and something that we can’t control? Is there something that we can do to prevent it or at least lessen the chances of experiencing it ourselves and our family?

I believe so. And I’m hoping that what I’m about to share will somehow answer or address that question. Moving on, setting aside the environmental issues/challenges and infrastructure improvements that we need to address the flood control in our country. Let me share with you that, “Most Philippine cities are located on sea level. However, some parts of Navotas, Caloocan and Malabon are below sea level, and continue to experience subsidence.”, according to Wikipedia. See table below.

For those who have already figured out, what I’m trying to point out, good for you. However for those who are still wondering, I’m talking about the “elevation” of cities in the Philippines, especially within the Metro Manila. It is my understanding that an area with a higher elevation, is less likely to be flooded, than those in an area with a lower elevation. Allow me to illustrate through some images of flooded areas in the Metro.

Those images above are located in the parts of the Metro Manila with lower than average elevation. If you’ll look closely and noticed (the Google maps images), the elevation of the said areas are within 4 meters to 9 meters. These are known problem areas when it comes to flooding. And most people are already aware that there more ideal location than those above.

Now, if you’ve already experienced flooding and you’re looking forward to putting that behind. The next time you consider looking for a property location, you may want to check and try out these sites below. Because aside from the typical “interview your possible neighbor/s approach” or simply relying on your agent’s/broker’s word, if a certain area, community or development gets flooded or not? By using the said sites below (though it’s not a guarantee), you’ll have an additional source of information, in terms of having an idea which areas have a higher elevation and a tool that you can use for comparison purposes. This way, you’ll be in a better position to make a more informed decision, in terms of a more ideal property location, that has at least a lesser chances of getting flooded, if not totally “flood free”.

• http://www.zonums.com/gmaps/maptool.php
• http://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm

Until next time, I hope that this post will somehow help you worry less about flooding in the future. As they say, “prevention is better than cure”. And if you happen to have any comment/s or something to share, feel free to use the comment box below.

Thank you for dropping by and your time.