YUMUL ON FLOOD SUIT: 'BLAME RAIN, NOT US'

“Blame it on the rain, not us.” This was the terse reply of Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Undersecretary Graciano Yumul when asked yesterday to react on the class suit reportedly being prepared by officials of flood-tormented Bulacan against agencies deemed responsible for releasing water from dams during recent typhoons.

Yumul, also the supervising official of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), insisted that massive flooding in Bulacan was a result of heavy rainfall and not the release of excess water from Angat dam.

His view was supported by Roy Badilla, Weather Services Assistant Chief of the PAGASA’s Hydrometeorological Division.

“Floods in these areas (in Bulacan) were not due to the discharge of water from Angat and Ipo dams but due to the huge volume of rain that affected the area,” Badilla said.

Likewise, Yumul cited soil saturation as one of the causes of the flooding in Bulacan.

“I still need to see and understand the details (of the class suit). If other data are available, we will be interested to see them,” he said.

“We in PAGASA work on whatever data we have,” Yumul added, pertaining to the PAGASA rainfall data gathered by Badilla’s division.

COntinue Reading at the Manila Bulletin

BAHA ALERT ULIT SA LUZON, MM

Nagbanta ang Philippine Athmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) sa mga residente ng Northern at Central Luzon, gayundin sa CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) areas sa posibleng pagbaha bunsod ng pag-ulang dala ng isang low pressure area at inter-tropical convergence zone (ICTZ).

Ayon kay DOST Undersecretary Graciano Yumul kahapon, inaasahang madadagdagan ang tubig-baha sa Central Luzon dulot ng maghapong pag-ulan kahapon na maaaring aabot hanggang ngayong araw ng Linggo.

Sinabi ni Yumul na binabantayan na rin nila ang pagtaas ng tubig sa Marikina river na posibleng makaapekto sa CAMANAVA area.

Nag-abiso na rin umano ang pangasiwaan ng Ipo dam na posibleng magpa­kawala ng tubig dahil uma­bot na sa 146 meters ang water level, habang ang Magat dam ay nagsabi na rin na magbubukas ng kanilang mga gate.

PHOTO CREDIT - Art Son
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FLOODS IN CENTRAL LUZON COULD LAST A MONTH

Massive flooding in Central Luzon brought about by back-to-back typhoons could last for a month even as the storms’ death toll reached 95, the civil defense chief said on Saturday.

Waist-deep floods in Bulacan and Pampanga left behind by typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae) were being made worse by continued rain on the coastal areas north of Manila, said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chief Benito Ramos.

Waist-deep floods in Bulacan and Pampanga left behind by typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae) were being made worse by continued rain on the coastal areas north of Manila, said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chief Benito Ramos.least two more weeks before (the floods) will subside, assuming it will stop raining soon,” said Ramos as he inspected the flooded areas.

“If it continues to rain, it will take one month for the waters to subside,” he told Agence France-Presse.

More than 586,000 people were still displaced by the floods, forced from their homes by the rising waters or unsafe conditions, the disaster council said.

Pedring slammed into the northern part of the Philippines on September 27, followed by Quiel just five days later, bringing storm surges, flash floods and landslides.

The combined death toll from the two storms rose to 95 with another 34 still listed as missing, many of them washed away by floodwaters or killed during the typhoons by strong winds toppling walls and trees.

Although the storms have passed, a low pressure area has been hovering over the country, causing rain to fall on areas already inundated by the two typhoons, the government weather station said.

The head of the disaster council’s reporting division, Emilia Tadeo said that relief goods were being rushed to the coastal areas despite the obstacles created by the floods.

“They are completely cut off, accessible by small boats and large trucks,” she told AFP.
Damage estimates from the two storms was estimated at about P14 billion ($322 million) but Tadeo said the figure was certain to rise as local officials got a more complete picture of the devastation in their areas.

“Every day, our damage figures go up. We are still awaiting damage assessment reports from other regions,” she said.

By Agence France-Presse

PALACE DENIES CANCELING FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS

Malacañang yesterday denied allegations the Aquino administration canceled 19 projects meant to mitigate flooding and which Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez wanted the House of Representatives to investigate.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the administration, particularly President Aquino, could not be blamed for the massive flooding that was caused by typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” last week.

Suarez urged a congressional investigation over allegations that the President canceled several urgent flood control projects that could have prevented or minimized flooding in Central Luzon.

Suarez said the 19 projects that were stopped had approved negotiated contracts which were started after typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” had flooded Metro Manila and nearby provinces in 2009.

The total cost of the projects was P934.1 million, and were part of the 139 projects or 42 contract packages funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan for the urgent rehabilitation of flood control facilities costing P1.9 billion, Suarez said.

According to Suarez, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson himself confirmed the cancellation of the projects in a press release of the department on July 28, 2010.

Because of this, the House of Representatives is set to investigate the revocation of the projects and look into the “effects of the cancellation of the post Ondoy and Pepeng short-term infrastructure rehabilitation projects (POPSTRIP) on the flood control program of the government,” Suarez said.

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Palace mulls forced evacuation of typhoon victims

MANILA, Philippines - Malacanang has asked the Department of Justice if a forced evacuation of residents in typhoon-wrought areas in the country is possible.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said this is for the residents’ own security, amid news that they have not left their homes even if these have been inundated by floodwaters and their food and water supplies are already running out.

Lacierda said the plan will be 2-pronged, with police authorities also tasked to guard the belongings of the residents who will be evacuated.

The issue was brought up during President Benigno Aquino III’s almost 3-hour meeting with the stakeholders of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday.

There, NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos reported some residents have refused to be evacuated, claiming this constitutes a violation of their human rights.

“Perhaps after the [second, third warnings], we can already bodily carry them,” he said.

Based on its latest monitoring, typhoon Pedring has brought the death toll to 52. Typhoon Quiel, on the other hand, claimed one casualty.

A total of 534,880 families have been affected by the 2 typhoons, lashing the country with massive rains and strong winds only days after the other.

Weather bureau Pagasa said typhoon Quiel is already 370 kilometers West Northwest of Baguio City and is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) later at 8:00 p.m.

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Flood damage, casualties pile up; new storm brewing

MANILA, Philippines -- Four dams in Luzon nearing their spillover levels were forced to release water Sunday, spawning fears among residents of low-lying towns in Northern and Central Luzon of worse flooding.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed that floodgates were opened at 4 a.m. Sunday to release water from three dams in the Agno Basin as well as in Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela.

Seven floodgates of Ambuklao Dam in Benguet were opened seven meters to release water; Binga Dam, also in Benguet, opened five floodgates at 9 meters; and San Roque Dam opened two gates at one meter.

Flood forecasters of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said ten Pangasinan towns are in the path of water released from three dams of the Agno River Basin.

PAGASA said Quiel’s rains which was forecast to dump 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall over San Roque Dam catchment areas overnight until Sunday was one of the factors that led to the opening of the floodgates.

Magat Dam, one of the biggest dams in the country with the Magat River being a major tributary of Cagayan River, continued to release excess water due to the surface water run-off going to its watershed areas.

PAGASA warned those living near Agno River and its tributaries of flooding due to strong water inflow from Agno tributaries and release of water from San Roque Dam.

Continue Reading at Manila Bulletin

Roof Deep Floods Trap Hundreds in Bulacan

MANILA, Philippines - Rescue teams from various groups trooped to Bulacan province to rescue hundreds of residents, who were forced to stay on their houses' roofs, due to massive flooding since last night.

Undersecretary Benito Ramos, head of the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said that rescue teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and two local government units from Metro Manila have dispatched teams to join rescue efforts for hundreds of residents trapped in Hagonoy and Calumpit towns.

Ramos said rescue teams from the military's side dispatched to Bulacan province include AFP's Disaster Rescue Task Force, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Marines.

He said that the PNP has also sent teams from its Public Safety Battalion and Maritime Group. The MMDA sent two teams with rubber boats have already arrived in the flooded province.

Meanwhile, he said the local governments of Pasay and Pasig cities have also sent rescue teams.

All teams carried with them rubber boats, which will be used to fetch residents in Calumpit and Hagonoy towns who have been trapped on their roofs since Thursday night.

He said four helicopters have also been dispatched to survey the flooded towns and look for trapped residents.

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said earlier that additional teams have been sent to the province to join the rescue efforts.

Reports said that more than 70 residents have been rescued by a military rescue team in Calumpit town. Reports added that more than 1,000 families still trapped on their houses' roofs have yet to be rescued.

Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado said that a total of 29 barangays in Calumpit and six more barangays in Hagonoy are submerged in roof-deep floodwater.

Radio reports said that hundreds of residents are either trapped on the second floor or the roofs of their houses.

Alvarado said that they have already ordered the forced evacuation of the residents in all areas affected by the massive flooding. However, several residents refused to be evacuated.

Ramos said that the NDRRMC has also received reports that the town of Paombong was also flooded. He added that several towns in Pampanga, including Apaklit, Lubao and Candaba, were also swamped by floodwater.

The provinces of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, which has been placed under a state of calamity, are also reeling from floods spawned by heavy rains brought on by Typhoon "Pedring" (Nesat).

Several areas in Luzon, particularly provinces located in the north, are also isolated due to floods and landslides that rendered several roads and bridges impassable.

Plea for rescue

Eva Enductivo, one of the residents trapped in Barangay Frances in Calumpit town, pleaded to be rescued from their house over radio dzMM.

"Gusto na rin po naming ma-rescue," she said.

The woman said that her family and several neighbors are trapped on their house's second floor.

Authorities have yet to determine if there are already fatalities.

Local authorities and affected residents, who were able to evacuate before the floodwaters rose to roof-deep, are blaming the release of water from the dams of Ipo and Angat.

Enductivo said they were not informed that the dams will release more water.

Luzon dams release water

Engr. Alex Palada, division manager of the National Power Corporation’s flood forecasting and warning system, denied that the release of water from the dams are the is the main cause of the massive flooding in Bulacan.

Palada said that they are releasing 459 cubic meters of water per second from Angat Dam. He said that Angat Dam's water level as of 8 a.m. today was 213.26 meters, which is 3.26 meter higher than its normal water level of 210 meters above sea level.

He said that the main cause of flooding in Bulacan is the swelling of the Angat and Pampanga rivers. He added that Bulacan is a catch basin of floodwaters from Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Pampanga provinces, which were heavily flooded due to heavy rains brought on by Typhoon "Pedring."

Calumpit Mayor James de Jesus said that displaced residents have been forced to stay along McArthur Highway due to the lack of evacuation centers.

De Jesus said they are expecting the floods in the town and other areas in the province to rise further as two more storms are expected to bring heavy rains over Luzon during the weekend.

He said that Calumpit town is used to floods as it is a catch basin of water flowing from the upper provinces down to Manila Bay. However, he said that today’s flooding was the worst in 40 years.

Even before the massive flooding took place, Calumpit town has been placed under a state of calamity due to the damages it suffered from the onslaught of "Pedring." Another town in Bulacan -- Obando -- is under a state of calamity.

Based on monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, three dams in Luzon, including Angat and Ipo dams, are already on spilling levels and a total of six dams are already releasing water.

Dam authorities said that the water releases are necessary and in preparation for the storms that are expected to hit land in northern Luzon.

'Quiel', 'Ramon'

PAGASA has raided public storm warning signal No. 2 over the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela as Typhoon "Quiel" approached the coastlines of northern Luzon.

Signal No. 1 is raised over Calayan and Babuyan group of islands, Apayao, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Abra.

Majority of the provinces under storm alert have yet to recover from the devastation of Typhoon "Pedring" that dumped heavy rains and slammed strong winds into Luzon early this week, leaving more than 40 people dead and billions worth of crops and infrastructure damaged.

As of 10 a.m. today, Typhoon Quiel's center was estimated at 640 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 170 kph.

The storm was moving fast, westward, at a speed of 22 kph.

PAGASA said it expects the typhoon to make landfall by Saturday and may directly hit Cagayan. The typhoon may spare Metro Manila, the weather bureau added.

Meanwhile, weather forecasters said that while "Quiel" is approaching land, another storm that will be named "Ramon" will enter the Philippine area of responsibility.

Both weather disturbances are expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring heavy rains over Luzon and the western part of Visayas.

Rains from the two storms are expected to swell water reserves in major dams in Luzon. -- Angelo L. Gutierrez

Source philstar