Monsoon rains cause Metro Manila flooding, metropolis declares state of calamity
Monsoon rains forced government offices and offices to suspend work on Wednesday as heavy rains caused widespread flooding in Metro Manila, forcing authorities to place the metropolis under a state of calamity.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)
declared red rainfall warning over Metro Manila and nearby provinces at 3 am Wednesday with residents seeing floods in their areas in the morning.
A six-month pregnant woman and her three children were reported dead in a landslide in Agoncillo, Batangas, the town's Facebook page said. Their bodies were recovered Wednesday morning.
It was second day that work in government offices in Metro Manila was suspended. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin ordered suspension of work at 2 pm Tuesday.
Following consultations with the Metro Manila mayors during the Metro Manila Council emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos declared that "Metro Manila is now in the state of calamity".
The meeting was held to discuss the situation in different cities of the National Capital Region that was affected by flooding because of the effect of Typhoon ''Carina'' and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
The recommendation was initially made by Abalos during the situation briefing led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC) Office in Camp Aguinaldo earlier.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development recorded a total of 45, 328 families were affected in 225 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, central Visayas, Western Visayas, NCR and Cordillera Administrative Region.
A total of 1,702 families are in 126 evacuation centers.
Marcos told reporters after the end of the briefing that ''what we need to talk about is how to bring help to the people who are in trouble.''
Based on the monitoring of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) the flooding monitored in different areas of the National Capital Region range from gutter deep up to above chest deep.
As of 2:20 pm, Marikina City Rescue 161 reported that the Marikina water level has already reached third alarm or 20.2 meters.
Abalos confirmed his recommendation for Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro in his phone conversation to implement forced evacuation.
In 2009, Typhoon ''Ondoy'' dumped rains in Metro Manila, causing the Marikina River to overflow and cause widespread flooding in Marikina.
According to the state weather bureau, the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon "Carina" will bring heavy to intense rains or 100-200 mm rainfall over Metro Manila on July 24.
On Thursday, moderate to heavy rains (50-100 mm) are still possible over Metro Manila, Cavite, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, rest of Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro, it added.
Heavy to intense rains (100-200 mm) may be expected over Benguet and Abra, said Pagasa. Robina Asido, Jaspearl Tan/DMS
