Torrential rains prompted many local government units (LGUs) across Metro Manila and nearby Luzon provinces to mobilize rescue teams, as thousands grappled with the effects of the southwest monsoon intensified by Super Typhoon ‘Carina’ that brought back memories of ‘Ondoy.’
The entire National Capital Region (NCR) was placed under a State of Calamity on Wednesday, July 24, based on a resolution passed by the Metro Manila Council (MMC). Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. presided over the meeting.
Abalos endorsed the forced evacuation of residents from low-lying villages in Marikina City after Mayor Marcelino Teodoro reported that the Marikina River reached the third and highest alarm.
As of 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, water in the river rose to 20.6 meters amid heavy and nonstop rainfall that was measured beyond average levels. The Marikina City Public Information Office announced that floodgates have been opened.
Many individuals took to various social media platforms to share photos and videos of flooded streets and roads. The hashtag #CarinaPH trended on X (formerly Twitter) along with ‘Ondoy,’ the tropical cyclone that wreaked havoc across the NCR and other parts of Luzon in 2009.
“Crossed a knee-high flood with my two dogs to get into a safe place. The whole house is flooded. I don’t even know where my review materials are… Please make it stop. It is Ondoy all over again,” one netizen wrote on X.
Residents in Marilao, Bulacan also reported experiencing waist- to 8-feet deep flood for the first time since ‘Ondoy’ struck nearly 15 years ago. Images on social media saw residents on the roofs, waiting for rescue, as they watched trash-filled flood swamp their neighborhood.
Some commuters and public utility vehicles were also left stranded along thoroughfares that turned into rivers in Quezon City (QC) and other areas in Metro Manila. Churches have not been spared.
Members of the QC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office urban search and rescue team saved a woman who gave birth in the middle of the storm. The mother and her newborn daughter were immediately provided emergency medical services.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) measured the water at La Mesa Dam at 80.0 meters or near spilling level as of 3:50 p.m.
It warned that waters are “expected to rise due to continuous occasional rains caused by the Southwest Monsoon. Excess flood waters in La Mesa Dam will overflow in the event that the dam elevation reaches 80.15 meters.”
Low-lying areas along the Tullahan River from Quezon City (Fairview, Forest Hills Subdivision, Quirino Highway, Santa Quiteria, and San Bartolome), Valenzuela (Ligon, North Expressway and La Huerta Subdivision), and Malabon are to be seriously affected.
“All the residents living in the aforementioned areas, especially those near the river banks, are advised to be alert for possible flooding. The PAGASA shall continue to monitor the hydrological condition of the La Mesa Dam and provide updates to the concerned agencies and LGUs.”
On September 26, 2009, ‘Ondoy’ distributed 454.9 millimeters (17.91 inches) of rainfall over NCR based on official records.
In an interview over GMA News’ “24 Oras” on Wednesday evening, PAGASA Assistant Weather Services Chief and spokesperson for weather Chris Perez said ‘Carina’ and Habagat distributed rains measuring 519.1 mm within a 57-hour period (from July 18-23, 2024).
Perez also noted that the situation is more comparable with the 2012 southwest monsoon season that was enhanced by Typhoon ‘Gener’ because of the similar weather system.
He said the 2012 habagat brought rains measuring 1,007.4 mm over a three-day period. “Let’s see if the current episode, it’s not yet over, would exceed the 1,007.4 mm recorded rainfall over a 3-day period in 2012,” Perez noted. –With Rex Espiritu
