Floods submerge dozens of villages
DOZENS of towns and villages were submerged after tropical storm Karding and the southwest monsoon unleashed torrential rain that triggered floods in Metro Manila and other provinces.
Swept away Residents look at a vehicle washed up on a swollen river after a heavy downpour submerged homes in Marikina City. AFP photo
Bulacan province was one of the hardest hit, with one city and 10 towns under water on Sunday. These were the municipalities of Malolos, Paombong, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Calumpit, Bocaue, Hagonoy, Baliwag, Bustos, Bulakan and Meycauayan City.
Rizal province was also hit hard, with 20 villages inundated by floods.
The flooded areas in San Mateo, Rizal were the villages of Banaba, Guitnang Bayan, Sta. Ana, Ampid, Maly, Dulong Bayan, Guitnang Bayan, Malanday, Guinayang and Ampid.
In Rodriguez, the flooded villages were Burgos, De la Costa, Manggahan, San Jose, Balite and San Isidro.
In Antipolo, Vermont Park, Kingsville Subdivision in Mayamot village, Baybay Sapa in Cupang village and Dela Paz village were also flooded.
In Metro Manila, 65 villages were flooded, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Marikina City was hardest hit as the city’s river overflowed, triggering evacuations.
Some areas in Quezon City were submerged in chest-deep floodwater.
Classes in flooded cities and municipalities were cancelled Monday.
The NDRRMC said floods were also reported in Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac.
Thousands evacuated
The torrential rains that started pouring on Saturday forced thousands of families to leave their homes.
Edgar Posadas, NDRRMC spokesman, said 9,118 families or 29,570 persons evacuated. In Marikina, 3,783 families or 7,676 persons sought shelter in evacuation centers, 619 families or 3,805 individuals in Quezon City; 44 families or 144 individuals in Manila; 2,039 families or 9,031 individuals in San Mateo, Rizal; 2,340 families or 7,761 persons in Rodriguez, Rizal; 289 families or 1,133 persons in Cainta; and four families or 20 persons in Antipolo.
As of 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the number of displaced families was placed at 88,131 or 382,996 persons in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Western Visayas, Cordillera and Metro Manila.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said 54,060 persons from Metro Manila were evacuated. The National Capital Region Police Office reported that the Northern Police District, which has jurisdiction over the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela, recorded 450 families or 1,524 individuals leaving their homes while the Eastern Police District said 4,503 families or 26,306 individuals were evacuated.
The Quezon City Police District said 1,623 families or 6,455 persons sought shelter in evacuation centers, while the Manila Police District reported that 40 families had to seek higher ground because of rising floods.
Not like ‘Ondoy’
The intense rainfall that started on Saturday and continued until Sunday triggered fears of another Ondoy-like calamity.
In September 2009, tropical storm Ondoy hit Luzon and dumped record rain. The storm claimed more than 700 lives.
However, the Manila Observatory said the amount of rain that soaked Metro Manila on Saturday was half that dumped by Ondoy.
The highest accumulated rainfall was recorded in Holy Spirit village in Quezon City at 236 millimeters. San Mateo town in Rizal got 220 mm while Marikina had 215 mm of rain.
‘Ondoy’ dumped 455 mm of rain in 24 hours.
As of Sunday, Posadas said there were no reported casualties.
However, a man was reported missing in Eastern Samar.
The Office of Civil Defense in Cordillera suspended tourism-related activities in Benguet because of possible landslides and flashfloods.
It said 66 families were housed in evacuation centers.
Dams
The torrential rains also engorged dams, the weather bureau said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the water level of Angat Dam in Bulacan rose from 197.43 meters to 199.65m, still below the spilling level of 210 meters.
The water level at Ambuklao Dam rose to 751.04 meters, nearing the critical level of 752 meters. The water elevation prompted dam officials to open eight gates to release water.
At Binga Dam, six gates were opened as the water due neared the critical level of 573.20 meters.
La Mesa Dam in Quezon City was still below the spilling level of 80.15 meters, rising to 78.22 meters.
San Roque Dam’s water level rose to 281.97 meters, almost two meters higher than its spilling level of 280 meters.
Pantabangan and Caliraya dams water levels also rose to 200.84 meters and 286.56 meters, respectively.
Residents in areas near the dams were advised to take precautionary measures against flooding and landslides.
More rain
The weather bureau said even with storm “Karding” out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon will continue to have rains.
It said the southwest monsoon and another storm spotted outside the country will bring more rains.
Pagasa said tropical storm Leepi was estimated at 2065 km east of extreme Northern Luzon. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 kph and gustiness of up to 95 kph and was moving northwest at 20 kph.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle called on the faithful to extend their help to those affected by floods.
“To those who are willing to help, we are called in different ways to be prepared to help, please contact the parishes from Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM), villages, Caritas and other social action centers,” Tagle said.
He urged parishes to open their doors to anyone who was displaced by the downpour.
Malacanang meanwhile said concerned government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Health will continue to help families displaced by floods.
With reports from ALEC NALDO, MIA MACATIAG, Cathy Modesto and Ralph Edwin U. Villanueva
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