My departure from Manila was a timely one

At least a third of this overpopulated capital and its suburbs were submerged on Tuesday as torrential rains battered the city and floodwaters poured in from almost all sides. An overflowing lake in the south sent water coursing into a river that slices through Manila; water poured from the open floodgates of a dam to the north, and high tide brought flooding from the bay to the west.

“It’s like Waterworld,” said Benito Ramos, who heads the government’s disaster relief agency, referring to the movie with Kevin Costner depicting a submerged earth.

Here is more, and I wish the best to all those left behind.