It’s disheartening to see, but a number of owners and drivers just don’t seem to know how to take care of their vehicles. This becomes painfully obvious during the rainy season, when cars are inundated in flooded streets across the metro, or even in homes with easily flooded garages.
The truth is, we can no longer be assured that our places are safe from flooding. Areas once considered secure due to their elevation are no longer the rule these days, as floods can surprisingly result from non-stop rain for just a few hours. We saw this during the devastating Typhoon Ondoy, and more recently when several typhoons almost simultaneously entered the country, dumping excessive rains after being exacerbated by the habagat monsoon. Almost all streets of Metro Manila were flooded, and many vehicles were trapped and inundated.
Lucky are those who have the presence of mind to bring their vehicles to higher ground. But for those who think the rains would spare their vehicles, they were truly unfortunate. Even before the rain starts during a typhoon or cyclone, include your vehicle in your safety plan. Many malls now accept overnight parking, and their elevated and secured parking is perfect for your vehicle, even for an overnight stay or until after the storm has passed.
I’ve seen several new electric cars bravely tackling flooded streets recently, most of them large SUVs. But I can’t help but wonder what will happen to them later on. If gas-fed vehicles can conk out or even develop serious problems after negotiating a deeply flooded street, how much more so for those new EVs or hybrids?
There are many ways to keep yourself and your vehicles safe. One is simply to stay put where you are when there’s a heavy downpour that could cause heavy traffic or flooded, unpassable streets. If you can’t find a comfortable place to pass the time, your vehicle can be a good place to stay, provided you are parked safely or in a guarded parking lot. You can buy some food and drinks from a nearby store or grocery and eat them inside your vehicle. Keeping in tune with live radio broadcasts or online media would be an added idea before you decide to go home. Never, ever gamble your life, and your vehicle too, by wading through those deep, flooded streets in your dire effort to go home immediately after a heavy downpour – the possible consequences are worse than we think.
