KNEE-DEEP WATER Heavy rains triggered by Tropical Storm “Inday” and high tide triggered
flooding along AB Fernandez West Avenue in Dagupan City on Thursday. —WILLIE LOMIBAO
The southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” will continue to bring intermittent moderate to heavy monsoon rains over most parts of Luzon, as Tropical Storm “Inday” moves out of the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
In a press briefing on Thursday, weather specialist Gener Quitlong said the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan could expect occasional rains.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will experience scattered light to moderate and, at times, heavy rains until Saturday, according to Pagasa.
The rest of the Visayas and Mindanao will start to experience fair weather, Quitlong said.
No landfall threat
As of 3 p.m. on Thursday, Inday was estimated to be 1,025 east of Basco, Batanes, and was forecast to move northeastward at 25 kilometers per hour, with no threat of landfall on any part of the country. It was expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Saturday.
Pagasa issued gale warnings over the eastern seaboard of Isabela, Aurora, as well as that of Zambales and Bataan, and warned that sea travel will remain risky over these waters.
The monsoon rains from Tropical Depression “Henry” and the effects of Inday damaged P6 million worth of crops and infrastructure, and affected some 19,000 families across five regions.
Damage to crops
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), damage to crops in the Occidental Mindoro towns of Abra de Ilog, San Jose, Magsaysay, and Mamburao was estimated at P5.725 million.
Monsoon rains also caused P100,000 in partial damage to a bridge in Sitio Mamangan, Barangay Cabacao in Abra de Ilog town.
The NDRRMC reported that 19,612 families, comprising about 71,000 persons, in 124 barangays had been affected by the habagat in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Western Visayas.
About 8,900 families were displaced by floods but only about 1,500 families opted to stay in 59 evacuation centers set up in the five affected regions.
Monsoon rains also damaged 152 houses in Morong, Bataan; Olongapo City, Zambales; and Bago City, Negros Occidental.
Landslide kills 2
In Mountain Province, grade school teacher Luisa Fanged Pelew was killed, while fellow teacher Frauline Poloc Magwa was injured on Wednesday when a landslide triggered by continuous rains from Inday struck their van in the capital town of Bontoc.
A rock slide also blocked the provincial road at Barangay Taloy Norte in Tuba town, Benguet province, while a landslide briefly closed the Halsema Highway on Wednesday night.
In Pangasinan province, 22 villages in the towns of Bani, Mangatarem and Calasiao, and Alaminos City were submerged in up to 6 feet of water after incessant rains and high tide at Tambac Ray caused the Bani River to overflow.
With light to moderate rainfall expected until Friday, the Agno River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center in Rosales town warned of possible flooding in the towns traversed by the Agno River and its tributaries. —WITH REPORTS FROM GABRIEL CARDINOZA AND VINCENT CABREZA