Rains triggered by Severe Tropical Storm “Ineng” on Saturday submerged areas in Ilocos Norte that had never suffered floods before, surprising residents who had prepared for Signal No. 1 that was hoisted over the province on Friday.
“For the last 47 years of living here, this was the first time my house was flooded,” Bella Navarro of Laoag City said in her Facebook post. She also posted photos of their kitchen where water was knee-high.
The incessant rains triggered a landslide that struck two houses in Pasuquin town, killing Pauleen Joy Corpuz, 17, and injuring Princess Shalane Trumpo, 11, and John Lloyd Trumpo, 9.
Ricky Manglallan, 37, drowned on Saturday while helping with rescue operations in low-lying areas in Laoag City.
After Ineng left the country’s area of responsibility, a new low-pressure area (LPA) was spotted 1,225 kilometers east of the Visayas at 3 p.m. on Sunday, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather specialist Benison Estareja.
It is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by early Monday.
Between Monday and Tuesday morning, the LPA is forecast to become a tropical depression, which will be called “Jenny.”
‘The first time’
On Saturday, water rose in 110 villages in Ilocos Norte, displacing 4,595 families (18,000 people) and prompting the provincial board to declare a state of calamity.
The towns of Dingras and Solsona, which had experienced floods in the past, were not as badly hit as Laoag and the towns of Bacarra, San Nicolas and Pasuquin.
These areas received 50 millimeters per hour of rainfall on Saturday, which was beyond normal, according to local weather bureau chief Cynthia Iglesias.
The rain damaged houses and farm products worth P300 million and flood and river control projects, roads, bridges, irrigation facilities and schools.
The Batac-Rayuray, Vintar-Tamdagan and Vintar-Pallas roads, which were under water on Saturday, were soon enough reopened to vehicular traffic.
Farmers also lost P20.6 million in damaged rice crops, high-value crops and fisheries.
Iglesias urged the residents to clear rivers and waterways.
“Had our rivers and waterways been OK, we could have lessened the impact of flooding,” she said, adding that rainfall would be abnormal in the province from August to September.
Cloudy skies, rainfall
Pagasa said cloudy skies with rainfall would prevail over the country on Monday until Thursday due to the southwest monsoon and thunderstorms.
In its 4 p.m. weather bulletin on Sunday, the weather bureau said the southwest monsoon would bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and Mindoro provinces on Monday.
The rest of Luzon will also be affected by the monsoon, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated showers.
Thunderstorms will prevail over the rest of the country, bringing isolated rain showers, mostly in the late afternoons to early evenings.
If it enters the Philippine area of responsibility, Jenny will be the 10th tropical cyclone this year and the third this August.
Due to the weather conditions, gale warning has been raised on the northern and western seaboards of the country, spanning the provinces of Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan.
Small boats and fishermen are advised against going out to sea.—Reports from Leilanie Adriano and Jhesset O. Enano