1,590 studs stuck in UST flooding

By: Mikaela Sarthou

1,590 students of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) spent the night on campus after being stranded due to unexpected flooding within its vicinity on September 10.

The university’s Security Office reported that initially, there were 5,000 stranded students and was eventually narrowed down to 1,590 as students left the university within the night. 

Espana, Lacson, Blumentritt and other nearby roads around UST became impassable due to the heavy rains.

Buildings in the university served as evacuation places except for the San Martin de Porres building and the Main Building.

The administrators, together with the UST Central Student Council (CSC), UST Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC) and some professors facilitated the operation.

Less than ten minor injuries were reported during the incident, brought mostly by slipping on wet grounds. National Service Training Program (NSTP) instructors, who were also stranded in the campus, attended to the medications.

UST CSC Vice President Argee Gonzales said in an interview that the heavy flooding in the university was not expected on the day. However, due to the unceasing rainfall, they anticipated that a lot of students would be stranded.

UST CSC announced through Twitter and text brigade that UST is open for stranded students. The Tan Yan Kee Students’ Center (TYK), prepped by the CSC and its staffs, started accepting stranded students.

The UST administrators initially allotted the tennis, badminton and fencing courts for the students as a place to stay in for the night. “They (the students) eventually stayed in their buildings as it was the final instruction of the Secretary General. Originally, they should be transferred to the Quadricentennial Pavillon (the school gymnasium). However, the gymnasium was so congested, it cannot accommodate all students,” Gonzales added.

University drivers were not around during the evacuation of students from TYK Building to other buildings. Instead, the Dominican priests drove the buses to transfer students from a building to another and delivered food in each building as well. The university administrators provided sufficient meals, snacks and drinks for the students for the night and the morning after.

UST is a known flood-prone area in the metro. Some UST architects say that this was due to the unmindful reconstruction of roads around UST which is also intended for flood-addressing purposes.

Meanwhile, the morning after the flooding, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino met with UST administrators and some officials of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to discuss the flooding issue.

To alleviate the flooding in areas nearby UST, MMDA and DPWH tied up to construct a water interceptor in Blumentritt that will redirect flood to Manila Bay.

“’Yung capacity nu’n hanggang 10 to 15 millimeters lang na rainfall, pero kagabi nag-28.5 tayo, so kailangan talaga i-upgrade itong drainage system,” Tolentino said in an interview with ABS CBN News. “Two years in the making ‘yun eh, hindi kayang ipatayo overnight.”

For the mean time, de-clogging was conducted in the “catch basin” areas to prevent flooding but the operation cannot ensure full relief for students and motorists in Espana as it was only a temporary solution.

               

Espana Boulevard, as explained by Engr. Rogelio Crespo of the North Manila Engineering District in the same interview, was said to be the ‘catch basin’ as it was lying in a low area.  “Mataas ang Quezon City kaya dito bumabagsak sa España,” he added.