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Residents walk through the mud to rescue their belongings after their houses were submerged by floodwaters in Southville Phase 1 K2, Barangay San José, Rodríguez, Rizal province on November 13, 2020 due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Ulysses. Also devastated by the typhoon are the areas of Cagayan and Isabela. FILE PHOTO OF INQUIRER / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines – Over the weekend, Filipinos were shocked when residents of parts of Cagayan and Isabela saw their homes submerged under water as the Magat Dam released water due to the recent Typhoon Ulises.
The flood, which local government officials consider the worst they have experienced in four decades, left many with no choice but to rush to their roofs while they waited to be rescued.
In his presentation to the House Special Committee on the Northern Luzon Growth Quadrangle on Monday, Acting Director of the Office of Civil Defense-Region 2, Harold Cabreros, said flooding from Typhoon Ulysses affected 21 municipalities and a city in Cagayán; and 22 municipalities and three cities in Isabela.
Cabreros added that flooding by typhoon Ulises was also reported in 15 municipalities in Nueva Vizcaya and five municipalities in Quirino.
In addition, the OCD official said that more than 151,600 families, made up of 583,493 people, were also affected by Typhoon Ulysses in the Cagayan Valley region, leaving more than 2,200 families in evacuation centers.
There were also at least 24 victims in the region due to the typhoon from various causes such as landslides, drownings and electrocutions. Three wounded and three others were reported missing, Cabreros’ presentation showed.
In addition, the typhoon left millions of damage to agriculture and infrastructure in the region.
Cabreros said that based on initial reports from the Department of Agriculture, the typhoon left P73.788 million in damage to the agricultural sector in the region. Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways reported damages of P44,955 million in infrastructure.
At the same hearing, OCD-CAR regional director Albert Mogol said that the recent flooding caused by the typhoon underscored the need to improve the capabilities of early warning and monitoring facilities in the region.
“What we see is that our early warning system must be effective and efficient so that there is still time to evacuate and prepare those in low-lying areas, particularly in the Cagayan Valley,” he added.
(We see that we need an effective and efficient early warning system so that there is time to evacuate and those in low-lying areas, particularly in the Cagayan Valley, can prepare.)
JPV
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