FLOODS SUBMERGE LUZON / LOREN: FLOOD CONTROL
PROJECTS MUST BE IMPLEMENTED NOW
[PHOTO
- Workers try to dig up one of two people killed after the adobe wall of
a bridge collapsed on two houses in Ugong village, Valenzuela City during
Tuesday's downpour. PHOTOS BY MIGUEL DE GUZMA]
MANILA, JULY 5, 2012 (TIMES)
Written by : Jing Villamente And Sammy Martin, Reporters - Rainstorm
cancels classes, flights
HEAVY rains brought by a low-pressure area (LPA) pounded Metro Manila and
neighboring areas on Tuesday, triggering floods that forced classes, work and
flights to be cancelled, as well as leaving at least two people dead.
The downpour prompted officials of different dams to be on heightened alert,
while the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) warned those living near two big rivers in Pampanga
province and the Bicol Region that these may possible overflow.
Pagasa said that the LPA—earlier located north of Alumbong village in
Batangas City, Batangas province—had a wide band of clouds that circulated and
affected a large area.
"It's a mini-storm without the winds," weather forecaster Jeri Loiz said. He
added that rainfall ranging from light to intense was recorded in Tanay town,
Rizal province; Sangley Point, Cavite province; Science Garden in Quezon City;
and Manila's Port Area.
Some 43.4 millimeters of rainfall were recorded at Port Area, 22.9 mm in
Science Garden, and 22.4 mm in Sangley Point early Tuesday morning.
"[The LPA] will continue to bring moderate to heavy rain over central and
southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, and even Western Visayas," Loiz said. He
added that the weather would improve by tomorrow.
[PHOTO -High tide, not heavy rains, leaves streets in Hagonoy, Bulacan
flooded yesterday. DINO BALABO, FOR
PHILSTAR]
The rains triggered floods in several parts of the National Capital Region,
prompting the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to deploy flood control
and monitoring teams to flooded areas as early as 5 a.m.
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino reported that waist-high floodwaters in V.
Luna Street in Quezon City rendered the thoroughfare impassable to vehicles,
while the corner of Andalucia and Laong Laan streets was only passable to light
vehicles.
In Makati City, roads in the villages of Pio del Pilar, Tejeros and La Paz
were also impassable to light vehicles.
Floods were also reported in several villages in the cities of Caloocan,
Malabon and Navotas.
No classes The rains also prompted the mayors of several cities in Metro
Manila to suspend classes at almost all levels in private and public schools.
Mayor Florencio Bernabe of Parañaque City said that he suspended classes to
ensure that students would not get stranded on the way home.
Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila, Mayor Antonino Calixto of Pasay City and Mayor
Herbert Bautista of Quezon City followed Bernabe's lead, suspending classes from
preschool to high school. Lim also suspended classes at the Pamantasan ng
Lungsod ng Maynila and the City College of Manila, and sent city hall employees
home by 1 p.m.
Classes up to the high school level were also suspended in the cities of
Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa,
Navotas, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, Valenzuela, as well as in Pateros town.
[PHOTO -A taxi is seen stuck on a flooded street in Quezon City, Metro
Manila July 3, 2012. Heavy rain has flooded some roads, causing classes to be
suspended in parts of Metro Manila, local media reported. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo (PHILIPPINES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT
TRANSPORT)]
The weather also forced the cancellation of six domestic flights, leaving
hundreds of passengers stranded. These flights were: Cebu Pacific Air flights
5J-521 (Manila to Naga City, Camarines Sur province), 5J-522 (Naga City to
Manila), 5J-529 (Manila to Busuanga town, Palawan province) and 5J-530 (Busuanga
to Manila); and AirPhil Express flights 2P-265 (Manila to Naga City) and 2P-266
(Naga City to Manila).
Two dead The rains also claimed lives when two residents of a northern Manila
suburb were crushed to death after a "stone wall beside their house collapsed,"
Anna Orallo of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) told Agence France-Presse.
She said that waist-deep floods swamped low-lying areas of Manila after a dam
near the city overspilled and had to open its gates, swelling rivers downstream.
Tolentino blamed much of the flooding on waterways being clogged by garbage
dumped into storm drains and sewers.
"The garbage is the main source of our floods. The whole nation needs to find
a way to lessen the garbage," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN television.
Authorities warned that a brewing storm would continue to dump rains over
Luzon, possibly bringing landslides and more flooding to the region.
[PHOTO -A road emergency crew member wades through waist-deep
floodwater to unclog drains after a heavy downpour in Quezon City, Metro Manila
July 3, 2012. Heavy rain has flooded some roads, causing classes to be suspended
in parts of Metro Manila, local media reported. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo (PHILIPPINES - Tags:
ENVIRONMENT)]
At the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, officials placed it under red alert due to
the rains. The dam's water level rose to 79.52 meters, or .50 meters near the
spilling level of 80.15 meters.
Engineer Teddy Angeles, headworks manager of the dam, said that he
recommended the evacuation of residents near the Tullahan River and warned
residents of Fairview to be on alert.
In Bulacan, officials of Ipo Dam opened two gates to release excess water due
to heavy rains.
The dam's level reached 101.75 meters, past its normal water level of 100.5
meters.
Ipo Dam's management alerted local government units in the towns of
Norzagaray, San Rafael, Bustos, Baliuag, Plaridel, Angat and Calumpit of this
development as the dam continues to release water.
Meanwhile, Elmer Caringal, a hydrologist with Pagasa, alerted residents
living near the Pampanga River and the Bicol river basin to be wary of creeks
spilling.
Local authorities in those areas were also advised to be alert, specifically
the NDRRMC regional offices. With Reports From Jovee Marie
N. Dela Cruz, Benjie L. Vergara, Marvs Libril and AFP
FROM INQUIRER
Legarda wants solid waste, flood control projects fully
implemented By Katherine Evangelista INQUIRER.net 2:16 pm | Thursday,
July 5th, 2012
MANILA, Philippines – In the wake of the recent heavy flooding in
parts of Metro Manila brought about by two consecutive days of continuous rains,
Senator Loren Legarda warned that unless solid waste management law and flood
control projects are properly implemented, the country will continue to have
disasters like that brought about by typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana)
and Sendong (International name: Washi).
"Despite the nation's horrible experiences during storms or typhoons in the
very recent past, the problem of flooding persists in Metro Manila. We must ask
our public officials: Were road repairs accomplished before the start of the
rainy season?
Was there de-clogging of esteros? Is the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000
being properly implemented?" said Legarda who is the Chair of the Senate
Committee on Climate Change and United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster
Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific.
Legarda said that the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act of
2000 or Republic Act 9003 and stressed that natural hazards become disasters due
to lack of preparedness. The said law, which was authored by Legarda, mandates
recycling as well as proper segregation of garbage at the household level,
segregated transportation, processing, treatment and proper disposal of solid
wastes.
"Improper waste management is causing many of these destructive floods. With
flooding comes sickness, loss of livelihood, and chaos. I implore our local
government officials and agencies not to be reactive. Do not focus merely on
relief and rehabilitation efforts. The right attitude is to be
proactive—preventing the occurrence of floods by finding solutions to end what
causes it," Legarda said.
"Let us not wait for another Ondoy or another Sendong. Let us be inspired by
a sense of urgency and act now. We need to enjoin everyone to ensure that we do
not fall victim to any more disasters brought about by lack of planning and
preparation, and that includes monitoring the implementation of waste management
laws and flood control projects," she added.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved
PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
PH Headline News Online. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved