Massive Flooding Sinks Cagayan

Rescue ops on as state of calamity declared

- Emmanuel Tupas And Raymund Catindig

Coast Guard personnel and disaster teams scrambled to rescue thousands in Cagayan province caught by surprise by raging floods triggered largely by the release of water from one of the largest dams in the country.

The rush of water from Magat Dam as well as heavy rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses caused the Cagayan River to swell and overflow, killing nine people per initial report and prompting officials led by Gov. Manuel Mamba to place the province under a state of calamity.

“The provincial council approved it at 11 a.m.,” he told radio dzBB in Filipino. Isabela province was also placed under a state of calamity on Friday.

Uysses (international codename Vamco) was the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year. Dozens of towns in Cagayan region north of Metro Manila remain submerged, affecting thousands of families, some of whom fled to rooftops to escape two-story high floods, officials said.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sent teams of rescue personnel, vehicles and rubber boats to Tuguegarao early yesterday, and will bring in more help from nearby provinces, said PCG commandant George Ursabia.

Accumulated effects of previous weather disturbances, as well as water from Magat Dam and higher plains, brought high flooding to Cagayan province, the disaster authorities said.

Placing Cagayan under a state of calamity is intended to fast-track relief operations for affected residents, especially in 24 of the 28 heavily flooded towns in the capital city of Tuguegarao.