Record rainfall, roof-high floodwaters affect over 380k families

Rescuers waded through murky floodwaters—some reaching roof-high—Wednesday to reach residents trapped by “Kristine,” which has killed 14 people and forced thousands to evacuate as it barreled toward the eastern coast and intensified into a severe tropical storm.

Torrential rain driven by the storm turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles in volcanic sediment set loose by the downpour in the Bicol region and some parts of Luzon.

PAGASA said “Kristine” dumped a record-high 24-hour rainfall since the 1920s in Daet, Camarines Norte.

Since Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, the severe tropical storm unleashed 528.5 millimeters of rain, higher than the 507.5 millimeters recorded in December 2000.

The state weather bureau said “Kristine” also logged the highest October 24-hour rainfall on record in Legazpi City in Albay with 431 millimeters logged – surpassing the previous record of 282.7 millimeters in October 2020.

A total of 382,202 individuals, equivalent to 77,910 families, were affected by “Kristine.”

Naga City in Camarines Sur was among the heavily-affected areas, with about 30 percent of Naga’s land area covered by flood waters and 70 percent of the town’s population affected.

The overflowing of the Bicol River and the spilling of water from Mount Isarog contributed to the flash flood in Naga, the local disaster management office said.

“We sent police rescue teams but they struggled to enter some areas because the flooding was high and the current was so strong,” Bicol police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib said.

State weather bureau PAGASA said Signal No. 3 was hoisted in Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, central portion of Abra, Benguet, Quirono, Nueva Vizcaya, northern and central portions of Aurora, Pangasinan, La Union, and central and southern portions of Ilocos Sur. Signal No. 2, on other hand, was raised over Ilocos Norte, rest of Ilocos Sur, Apayao, rest of Abra, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, rest of Aurora, rest of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon including Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.

Kristine is forecast to make landfall over Isabela between Wednesday night to early Thursday morning and may continue to intensify until it makes landfall.

The storm may exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday, PAGASA said.

One person drowned inside a bus that was swept away by floodwaters in Naga, where three others also drowned, police officer Bryan Ortinero said.

An elderly woman drowned in Quezon province, while a toddler was also killed after falling into a flooded canal, police said.

The Office of Civil Defense also reported one person was killed by a falling tree branch.

At an emergency meeting of government agencies Wednesday morning, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said “the worst is yet to come.”

“I’m feeling a little helpless here because… all we can do is sit tight, wait, hope and pray that there is not too much damage, that there are no casualties.”

Families driven from their homes in Bicol were being sheltered at about 2,500 evacuation centres scattered across the region.

“There was also a lahar flow in Albay due to the rains,” Calubaquib said, referring to volcanic sediment flowing from the Philippines’ famous Mayon volcano.

Further north, authorities evacuated 216 people from the coast near Divilacan and another 60 from nearby Palanan municipality in Isabela province after the weather service warned of the “moderate to significant risk of life-threatening storm surge” or high coastal waves.

“They had to conduct preemptive evacuations in response to the storm surge warning …. They had to evacuate some Indigenous people who were living in houses made of light materials,” Isabela provincial disaster official Constante Foronda said.

Six electric cooperatives reported total power interruption, according to the National Electrification Administration.

The affected coops are Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative, Camarines Sur I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Casureco I) and Casureco IV, Samal Electric Cooperative, Sorsogon Electric Cooperative and First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative.

“The instruction from the President is to bring back power immediately with safety in our minds,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said.

He said the priority was to provide power to hospitals and water facilities through gensets, which were prepared during El Niño.

“Kristine” also led to the cancellation of all commercial flights to the Bicol region yesterday.

“Although Bicol International Airport remains operational, no airline personnel from both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have been able to report for duty due to impassable roads leading to the airport. Air assets for relief and rescue operations could be accommodated,” Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines information officer Karen Villanda said. With AFP