About 3,077 families living in communities near the Marikina River have been evacuated as its water level continued to rise due to the heavy monsoon rains, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Saturday.
In a message to reporters, Mark Cashean Timbal, NDRRMC deputy spokesperson, said this is equivalent to 13,225 individuals seeking shelter in 28 evacuation centers in Marikina City.
Timbal said the evacuees came from the city’s flood-prone and low-lying communities.
As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the Marikina River’s water level has reached 16.4 meters, prompting authorities to raise Alert Level 2, which encourages affected residents to evacuate to higher grounds.
“Other LGUs who have communities along the connected river systems are monitoring the situations and (they are) also ready in case there is a need to evacuate,” he added.
Timbal said flooding has also been reported in Rodriguez, San Mateo, and Taytay towns in Rizal.
Taytay has reported 29 families or about 121 persons staying in three evacuation centers; San Mateo with 45 or 216 individuals in one evacuation center; and Rodriguez with 365 families or 1,439 persons in six evacuation centers.
He said the information came from Rizal’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and is still for validation by the regional office of the Department for Social Welfare and Development.
The NDRRMC on Friday night met with other regional DRRMCs and line agencies to ensure the preparedness of all local government units regarding the southwest monsoon.
The meeting, which was done via video teleconference and headed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, discussed the readiness of the response teams, evacuation management, preparations for evacuation centers, and across-the-board relief supplies, and reiterated the coronavirus protection protocols.
Source: Philippines News Agency