The nation turned its sights elsewhere as the first cries for help hit social media

MANILA, Philippines – Until a barrage of cries for help online from the Cagayan Valley peaked Friday night, the nation’s attention was focused on other parts of Luzon that were hit directly by Typhoon Ulysses, (name international: Vamco) mainly in the city of Marikina in Metro Manila. , Rizal province and Bicol region.

The next morning, the bigger picture of the devastation finally emerged.

Local officials in Cagayan province sent out calls for help on Saturday as the city of Tuguegarao and 24 of its 29 cities were submerged in flooding, two days after Typhoon Ulysses left the country, trapping thousands of residents on rooftops. and upper floors of their houses.

Later that day, President Rodrigo Duterte assured distressed residents that they would receive prompt assistance from the government, saying that he had formed a task force for that purpose.

“I want the task force to provide immediate relief assistance to the affected people,” he said.

Residents of the province took to social media to broadcast their urgent call for help, as they said they were caught off guard by the increase in flooding overnight on Friday.

Cagayán Governor Manuel Mamba said that many villages were isolated, as access roads became impassable due to the rising Cagayan River and its tributaries.

Worst hit

Among the most affected in the province is its capital, the city of Tuguegarao, which stretches on both sides of the river, with floods that submerge 40 of its 49 towns, according to Mayor Jefferson Soriano.

“Our problem was that many of the residents did not want to leave their homes when we issued flood warnings, complacent that the flood would not reach this level,” he said.

Soriano said the city government was preparing to evacuate residents of the city’s riverside villages, even as the water level at the Buntun Bridge monitoring station west of the capital began to drop on Saturday.

The Cagayan River’s floods reached a record 13.3 meters at Buntun station, but receded to 12.9 meters on Saturday.

A report on Saturday from the Cagayan Provincial Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRMC) also noted a “slow rise” in the water level in other rivers in the province, including the Pinacanauan de Tuguegarao, Chico, Pared and Dummun. .

This put the municipalities of Peñablanca, Enrile, Solana, Iguig, Amulung, Alcala, Baggao, Lasam, Gattaran, Lal-lo, Camalaniugan and Aparri at risk of continuous flooding, according to the PDRRMC report.

‘Intervention’

In the city of Tuguegarao, some 108,000 residents, or 31,000 families, were affected by the floods, Soriano said.

The PDRRMC report says that an 80-year-old man in Tuguegarao and a 42-year-old man in the city of Alcalá drowned in the flood, while two people died of electrocution at Barangay Pared in Alcalá.

In the town of Bitag Grande in the city of Baggao, about 35 kilometers east of Alcalá, four people were killed by a landslide.

In the northernmost town of Lal-lo, 21 out of 35 villages were flooded, Mayor Oliver Pascual said.

It also reported that the village of San Antonio, an island community of 238 households in the middle of the Cagayan River, remained isolated while their homes were submerged in the floods.

Pascual said teams led by other local governments, as well as various agencies, including the Armed Forces, have reached out to rescue residents who are still trapped in their homes.

“We will also need assistance in assessing damage to infrastructure and livelihoods. We will need the intervention of the national government to be able to overcome this calamity complicated by [the coronavirus pandemic]”Pascual said.

In Malacañang, Duterte said members of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Coast Guard were deployed to Region 2, adding that he would send more helicopters to help.

“The government will come quickly using all its assets and resources. I’ll see to it that they arrive, ”he said.

Duterte said the task force he has formed would ensure there are no delays in rescue and relief efforts. However, it was unclear who would head the new body and how it would differ from other government agencies involved in disaster relief efforts.

He asked stranded residents to await rescue.

“Those who have not yet been rescued from their homes, it might still be early, 1 pm, but our air assets will arrive,” Duterte said.

There were urgent calls on all social media to rescue the trapped residents as the waters rose on the streets of the capital and other areas.

One of those residents, university professor Rhodora Romero, said the people of Cagayan were “begging” for help.

“We have faced floods in the last four years; We can’t take it anymore World, we need your help, ”he said.

Internet users, including not a few officials, echoed this appeal.

‘Devastating, heartbreaking’

Party list representative Enrico Pineda of 1-Pacman said it was “devastating and discouraging” to see “many social media posts with photos of flooded cities at roof level. [and] people seeking rescue. “

“How did this happen? What preparations have we made, from the national level to the local level?” He said.

In the course of this calamity, local officials in other places also asked for help for Cagayan.

“We call on local governments unaffected by the recent typhoons to help their fellow Filipinos during their hour of need … mobilizing other available resources to urgently assist communities affected by the recent storms,” ​​said Albay Representative Joey Get out.

—With reports from Leila B. Salaverria, Mar S. Arguelles, and Julie M. Aurelio

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