In scenes reminiscent of the massive flooding brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) over a decade ago, several areas in Metro Manila and in neighboring Rizal province were inundated as Typhoon Ulysses brought prolonged heavy to torrential rains starting Wednesday night across the country’s main island of Luzon.
“The magnitude of what we’re experiencing now is comparable to Ondoy,” Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro told CNN Philippines.
“We have so many people who until now are stranded on their rooftops or trapped on the second floor of their houses. Some areas that were historically not flooded, such as the City Hall, are submerged,” he added.
As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Marikina River has risen to 22 meters—higher than the 21.5 meter level it reached during Ondoy.
“A lot of places are submerged. Many people are crying for help,” said Rouel Santos, 53, a retired disaster officer in Rizal province.
Santos said the flooding caused by Ulysses brought back memories of Ondoy that hit in 2009 and claimed hundreds of lives.
State weather forecaster Benison Estareja told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo that Ulysses may have dumped more rains than Ondoy.
“In terms of rains, we are still assessing but this is comparable. We can even say we experienced more rains under Typhoon Ulysses compared to Ondoy because this one is expansive,” Estareja said. With AFP