Hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes on Thursday as water in Marikina River steadily rose, moving closer to the peak level during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009.At 10:33 a.m., the water level rose to 22 meters — one meter below the 23 meters above sea level reached when Ondoy battered the country 11 years ago and left Marikina City submerged in floodwater for days.
In Marikina City, the river’s water level has reached 21.8 meters as of 9:14 a.m., breaching the level of Ondoy in 2009.City mayor Marcy Teodoro admitted that authorities were overwhelmed by the situation, as evacuation centers have become packed even as residents in several areas awaited rescue with floods reaching the second floor of houses.”Nao-overwhelm na kami sa extent, magnitude ng baha na nararanasan namin,” the mayor said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, referring to the widespread flooding that occurred during Tropical Storm Ondoy’s onslaught in 2009.
Residents near the river were forced to evacuate at past 3 a.m. when the water rose to 18 meters due to nonstop rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses starting Wednesday night. The local government also deployed rescue boats to extricate stranded residents.
LIST: Flooded areas in Manila. According to the Manila Public Information Office, here are the flooded areas in the city as of 9 am, Thursday, November 12:
NOT PASSABLE:
Makisig St. to Dalisay St., Bacood
San Lorenzo St., Sta. Mesa
Road 7 and Road 8 in Sta. Ana
España cor M. Dela Fuente St.
KNEE DEEP :
Roxas Boulevard (Both sides)
GUTTER DEEP
Taft Avenue to Kartilya
Taft Ave. cor Finance Road
Taft Ave. cor. Quirino
Lakas St. corner P. Sanchez
P. Ocampo to Roxas Blvd.Quirino Ave to UN LRT Station
Padre Faura to UN LRT Station
Singalong cor. Quirino Ave
Pedro Gil cor. Leon GuintoAntonio Villegas (in front of Manila City Hall)
Quezon Blvd (in front of Quiapo Church)
Morayta cor. EspanaEspana cor. P. Noval
Espana cor Lacson Ave.
Espana cor Maceda St.
Hundreds of families are still left stranded inside—or on top of—their homes. The local government and other government officials continue to mobilize rescue boats to save the people they can. Yet the situation has intensified that air rescue is now being requested.And Marikina River keeps rising. According to the Marikina Public Information Office, Marikina River has officially exceeded the level it reached during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009. Water levels are now at 22 meters, past the Ondoy level of 21.5 meters. Some say Ondoy reached 23 meters, and Typhoon Ulysses is getting close to that.
