Heavy Monsoon Rains Flood Metro Manila Roads Anew; New LPA Spotted

Heavy rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon again inundated many parts of Metro Manila on Saturday, Aug. 29, leaving roads impassable, rivers rising to critical and dangerous levels and the La Mesa Dam spilling.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised a red rainfall warning beginning at 11 a.m. – maintained for the most of the day – in Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite and Rizal.

As Metro Manila and nearby provinces grappled with incessant rain, a new low-pressure area was spotted outside the Philippine area of responsibility at 1,545 kms east of extreme Northern Luzon which may develop into a cyclone. It will be called Pilandok if and when it enters PAR.

Impassable roads, meanwhile, were recorded in Mac- Arthur Highway in Valenzuela City, Barangay Zapote in Las Piñas, Rizal Ave.-R. Papa in Manila, E. Rodriguez-Araneta, Araneta-Maria Clara and G. Araneta in Quezon City and Chino Roces in Makati.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed teams to unclog drainage inlets and ease flooding along EDSA Main Avenue at Liberty Santolan, Marcos Alvarez Road in Las Piñas and National Road in Putatan, Muntinlupa City. 

Flooding caused traffic jams at several portions of EDSA, C5, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon Avenue, Ortigas Avenue and Roxas Blvd. at around 4 p.m.

In Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno placed evacuation centers, district welfare offices, hospitals and health centers on high alert.

All local government-run hospitals were placed under Code White, designating medical personnel, emergency response team and operations centers to be on standby round-the-clock to ensure quick response.

Evacuation centers across all districts were activated by the city government, accommodating at least 51 families or 161 people as of 4 p.m. 

The local disaster risk reduction and management department recorded four-inch deep flooding along United Nation Ave. southbound and seven-inch deep flooding on Quirino Avenue. 

Gutter deep floods were also observed in many parts of España Blvd.

Small and medium vehicles were not able to pass Abad Santos Ave. around 1 p.m. due to 16-inch floods, the Manila DRRM Department said.

The city government ordered all health centers and district hospitals to provide free doxycycline capsules to residents exposed to floodwaters to prevent leptospirosis.

At around 2 p.m., PAGASA reported that water level at the La Mesa Dam overflowed at 80.22 meters, breaching its spilling level of 80.15 meters.

“Excess floodwaters from La Mesa Dam will flow directly into the Tullahan River, affecting low-lying areas in Quezon City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas,” PAGASA said.

Forced evacuation

The Quezon City government implemented forced evacuation at 3:30 p.m. in its five districts, particularly in the barangays of Del Monte, Talayan, Ramon Magsaysay, Bahay Toro, Bagumbayan, Escopa 1, Escopa 3, Kamuning, Obrero, North Fairview, Culiat, Pasong Tamo and Apolonio Samson.

The city government, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte, also provided free rides to stranded commuters through its QCity Bus Service.

Marikina River’s water level, meanwhile, reached 16.8 meters, hitting second alarm as of 4:17 p.m.

Active drainage cleaning was launched in areas that experienced gutter-deep flooding, Marikina’s public information office said.

The flood along the southbound lane of the road in front of SM Sucat reached waist level, while floodwaters on the northbound lane reached knee level.

The Parañaque local government and the MMDA conducted siphoning operations, with general manager Nicolas Torre III personally overseeing operations.

Caloocan’s disaster risk reduction and management office said over 30 areas in the city were impassable to light vehicles, including parts of the North Luzon Expressway Connector, EDSA-Balintawak and roads leading to Monumento Circle.

Malabon, for its part, opened 43 evacuation centers spread across 21 barangays to accommodate residents affected by the flooding.

In Valenzuela, residents living near the Tullahan River were advised to be on guard as the La Mesa Dam reached its spilling level.

All pumping stations in the city were activated to prevent flooding in low-lying areas. The 74 Bombastik pumping stations in Navotas were also operating.

Navotas had to close its navigational gate past 11 a.m. due to high tide that peaked at 1.8 meters, but eventually reopened it at 2 p.m.

As the monitored LPA enhances the southwest monsoon, occasional rains are expected in Ilocos Norte, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.

The state weather bureau said the rest of Luzon, Western Visayas and Negros Island Region will have cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms were expected for the rest of the Visayas due to the enhanced southwest monsoon.

In Mindanao, PAGASA forecast localized thunderstorms that will bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. – With additional reports from EJ Macababbad and Emmanuel Tupas