The Coast Guard rescues more than 200 residents in the Cagayan valley affected by the floods

The release of water from the Magat dam aggravates the floods in Cagayan, says the governor

RAMÓN, Isabela – Philippine Coast Guard personnel rescued more than 200 people in Cagayan and Isabela during the initial hours of rescue operations in the provinces after massive flooding devastated the Cagayan Valley.

As of 12:30 a.m. Saturday, 276 affected residents were rescued from deep flooding in Cagayan and Isabela, according to the Northeast Luzon Coast Guard District.

Tens of thousands of residents in Cagayán, Isabela and other provinces that are part of the Cagayán River were trapped in their homes or on rooftops since the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, and some urgently called for help via social media.

Due to Ulysses and monsoon rains, the Magat dam in the region had to release excess water after it reached a critical level. Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said this “exacerbated” the floods in Cagayan province.

“So now the level of the Cagayan river is very high,” ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo previously told TeleRadyo.

The dam reservoir level remained at a spill level of 192.18 meters at 5 am. Using 5 spillway gates, which were then lowered to 3, water was released at 1,686 cubic meters per second.

The released water will flow directly into the Magat River, a tributary of the Cagayan River.

The water level of the Cagayan River was at 13.00 meters in the Buntun Bridge area around 4 am, breaking the critical level of 12 meters.–with reports from Danielle Rebollos