Three weather conditions—two low pressure areas and one LPA that has developed into Tropical Depression “Dante”—are threatening to dump even more rain in the country even as several areas are still reeling from the swathe of destruction caused by Severe Tropical Storm “Crising” and the southwest monsoon or habagat.
Malacañang ordered the suspension of work in government offices and classes at all levels in Metro Manila and 36 other areas today (Wednesday) amid continued heavy rainfall caused by “habagat,” which together with “Crising” has since affected over 1.2 million people.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said apart from Metro Manila, other areas covered by Memorandum Circular (MC) 90 are Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Palawan, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Laguna and Negros Occidental.
State weather bureau PAGASA said “Dante” is seen to reach tropical storm category today but is not expected to make landfall.
“Further intensification into a severe tropical storm remains less likely but is not ruled out…On the track forecast, Dante may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday or on Friday,’’ PAGASA said.
As for the two other LPAs, one is located east of southeast Basco which has a medium chance of developing into another tropical depression that will be called “Emong.”
The other one is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility last seen east of Eastern Visayas, but also has a medium chance of becoming a cyclone that will then be named “Fabian.”
As this developed, the death toll from “Crising” and the “habagat” rose to six yesterday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
The latest fatality was recorded in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan). Three of the previously reported deaths occurred in Northern Mindanao, while one death each was recorded in the Davao and Caraga regions.
Six individuals remain missing, and six others were reported injured.
A total of 1,266,322 people—or 362,465 families—have been affected by the inclement weather nationwide.
Infrastructure damage has been pegged at P413 million, including P299 million worth of destruction in the Ilocos Region and P112.8 million in Western Visayas.
Damage to agriculture has been estimated at P134.66 million, including rice production loss at 3,412 metric tons.
A total of 6,377 farmers and fisherfolk have been affected while 8,035 hectares of agricultural land were impacted.
Of the agricultural land damaged, rice crops losses accounted for 90.51 percent of the total value loss, followed by corn at 3.96 percent and high-value crops (HVC) at 3.37 percent.
In Metro Manila, floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life to a halt on Tuesday, with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes.
More than 23,000 people living along Marikina River were evacuated, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards.
About 44,000 more were evacuated in the cities of Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan.
An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations center assistant supervisor.
“Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven’t found either of them,” he said. “The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape.”
More than 167,000 Meralco customers were likewise affected by power interruptions due to the onslaught of the “habagat.”
Meralco said around 101,676 of the affected customers were from Metro Manila, while the rest were from Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.
“We ask our customers for patience and understanding as heavy floods have triggered disruptions in power services. Rest assured that the safety of our customers and line crews is our top priority and we will immediately restore power in the affected areas once the floodwaters recede and it is safe to do so,” Meralco vice president Joe Zaldarriaga said.
At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country’s poorest regions typically the hardest hit.
Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.
