Residents of Barangay Iraga in Solana, Cagayan stay are stranded on rooftops as rising floodwaters inundate their community. (Photo courtesy of Francis Jorque/Cagayan Provincial Information Officer)
TUGUEGARAO CITY – Military and police personnel were dispatched to flooded areas in Cagayan Valley on Saturday morning to augment the ongoing relief and rescue operations.
In Isabela province alone, over 400 police officers were mobilized to assist displaced villagers.
Troops from the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division also sent rescue teams to the flood-hit areas.
In Cagayan province , soldiers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team-10, and 77th and 17th Infantry Battalions have started rescuing residents.
Rogelio Sending Jr., Cagayan Provincial Information Officer, said 20 out of 29 towns and Tuguegarao City have been either isolated or flooded as of Saturday
“We are literally in a sea of floodwater, which is the worst in 40 years,” Sending told the Inquirer.