Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces awoke Wednesday flustered by scenes of rampaging floodwaters as high as chest-deep in some areas and some roads impassable, with financial markets, schools and offices closed.
The chilling scenario – as signal 2 remained hoisted over the area despite announcements the weather disturbance will be exiting the country’s area of responsibility by Thursday – slapped the metropolis, home to 13 million people, as the southwest monsoon continued to bring heavy rains enhanced by Typhoon Carina.
Before sunrise Wednesday, the eye of Carina was monitored to be 280 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour near the center with gustiness of 190 kilometers per hour and central pressure of 950 hPa.
Pressure is measured in hectoPascals (hPA), or millibars. Standard pressure at sea level is defined as 1013hPa, but we can see large areas of either high or low pressure. These areas are all relative to each other, so what defines a high will change depending on the area around it.
By noon, the rains were still continuing in some areas of the national capital, and many parts remained under water, stranding cars and morning commuters as Carina battered the metropolis.
The Philippine Stock Exchange said there would be no trading in its equity market, while the nation’s central bank said currency trading and monetary operations would be closed.
Local government units in the National Capital Region and east of the capital in towns of Rizal announced some of the roads and villages in their respective jurisdictions were not accessible to vehicles due to flood waters that reached from gutter to chest deep levels.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority also released flood advisories across the NCR due to continuous rains from Tuesday night until early Wednesday morning.
Earlier the state weather bureau PAGASA raised the yellow rainfall warning – residents should be on the alert as flooding may result in flood-prone areas – over Metro Manila and seven other areas: Zamvbales, bataan, Pamanga, Bulacan, Cavite Batangas and Tarlac.
Weather men said the southwest monsoon, enhanced by Typhoon Carina, is bringing the heavy heavy rains, forcing rivers and other waterways in the capital and nearby towns to threaten their banks.
Light to moderate with occasional heavy rains meanwhile are being experienced in Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Quezon and Laguna, with weathermen warning these rains may persist within three hours.
We enjoin residents in the affected areas to be on guard and monitor developments and warnings from the authorities including the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council .
