Villagers trapped on roofs as floods hit Ilocos Sur due to Storm ‘Maring’

Floodwaters brought by Severe Tropical Storm “Maring” swamped a major diversion road in Candon City in Ilocos Sur province. Photo courtesy of Candon PNP.

LAOAG CITY—Residents trapped on their roofs in at least six areas in Ilocos Sur province took to social media Tuesday to seek help and rescue as heavy rainfall and wind brought by Severe Tropical Storm “Maring” (Kompasu) lashed northern Luzon.

In a press briefing, Mark Masudog of the Office of the Civil Defense in Ilocos said rescue operations in Sta. Lucia, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Maria, Santiago, Narvacan towns, and the city of Candon were ongoing.

Masudog said the number of trapped villagers was not immediately known.

Maring had damaged several public infrastructures in the province, including the Bayugao Bridge along Manila North Road in Sta. Cruz town, which was about to collapse due to nonstop rains and winds overnight.

The road was unpassable, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Sta. Maria town residents were also trapped since 3 a.m. Tuesday on their roofs due to floodwaters. Some of them had been rescued by noontime, according to rescue personnel.

Local officials said floodwaters in Candon also swamped a major diversion road in the city. Knee-deep floodwaters also inundated the commercial district of Narvacan.

Rescue personnel in Candon on Monday morning also retrieved a dead body of an unidentified woman at the seashore in Patpata Segundo village.

In Ilocos Norte, residents of Sitio Taburtit, Purok Namnama, Barangay San Lorenzo in Bangui were evacuated due to a storm surge, the provincial government reported.

At least 43 persons in low-lying areas in the town had been evacuated.

In La Union, 299 individuals had been evacuated since last night, said Masudog.

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