Cagayan gov. says flooding unprecedented

November 14, 2020

 

Cagayan Valley Governor Manuel Mamba said the flooding being experienced in their province is the worse since 1975.

"We were prepared. We anticipated that. We had pre-emptive evacuation and forced evacuation... we did not anticipate how enormous was the water  that came in," he told the Laging Handa virtual forum on Saturday.

In the same forum, Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano said their city was hard-hit, being a catch basin. Soriano said there were people who were trapped in the roof of their homes as flood waters remained high for the third day.

Mark Timbal, spokesman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC),  told the same Laging Handa forum 33 persons have died from ''Ulysses'', with 16 coming from Cagayan.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte is closely watching the situation in Region 2, or the Cagayan Valley.

"Last year it also happened, prior to this there were local flooding   specially on the north. It is the same magnitude as last year, we experienced the same the last quarter of last year but this is worst as I said the last time we had this flood is 1975," Mamba said.

Mamba said the gauging station at Buntun Bridge reached an ''unprecedented'' 13.1 meters.

Mamba said preparations were made although there was no typhoon signal raised over the province during the onslaught of ''Ulysses''.

"We do not have typhoon signal here in Cagayan since the start of 'Ulysses' but the water that it poured over Isabela, Quirino,  (Nueva ) Vizcaya, Ifugao, Kalinga...came here," he said.

But Mamba said the soil had been saturated because of recent rain and localized flooding in the northern towns of Cagayan province.

Mamba could not say how many residents were stranded but he said the local government has already sought the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other government agencies.

"We sought the help of the AFP to provide air assets for the delivery of relief and even rescue in some areas they were not able to reach because even our national highway is still under water," he said.

Mamba said they asked the officials manning the Magat Dam to limit the release of water since floods will continue if it is not done.

He said they asked the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to help rescuers were afraid as three persons died due to live wires.

Mamba said they were not able to deliver relief goods in certain areas because the current of the Cagayan River is ''very violent.'' Robina Asido/DMS