3,000 people flee as Tropical Depression Maymay rains flood Cagayan

OFF TO DRY GROUND | Members of a government rescue team guide residents of Barangay Lalafugan in Lal-lo, Cagayan, to safety as floodwaters submerge houses in low-lying communities in the town on Wednesday. (Photo from the Cagayan Public Information Office)

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines — More than 3,000 people were evacuated in Cagayan province on Wednesday as Tropical Depression Maymay continued to spawn heavy rain and trigger widespread flooding across the Cagayan Valley region, officials said.

According to the Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), most of the evacuees were from the towns of Ballesteros, Santa Teresita, Allacapan, Pamplona, Buguey, Gonzaga, Camalaniugan, Aparri, Lasam, and Gattaran, which experienced intense rainfall since Tuesday.

Floodwater in these areas reached about a meter (3 feet) deep, inundating houses, schools, roads, and bridges, the PDRRMO said.

Fatality

Flooding in Allacapan rendered the Binubongan-Dalayap bridge and Bulo-Gagaddangan road impassable, said Erick John Ganaden, head of Allacapan DRRMO.

Strong winds toppled trees and electric posts in Santa Teresita, Gonzaga, and Camalaniugan, causing power interruptions.

In Cagayan’s Buguey town, fisherman Marcial Pugal was found dead in the waters off Santa Ana town on Tuesday afternoon, hours after he went missing while at sea.

Ruelie Rapsing, the PDRRMO chief, said Pugal could have drowned due to the rough seas. Reports said Pugal went fishing early Tuesday despite a gale warning and the no-fishing policy imposed on the province as a preemptive measure against the impact of Maymay.

In Kalinga province, mud and boulders blocked a portion of the national road in Pinukpuk town as incessant rains triggered a landslide.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), moderate to heavy rains were experienced in Cagayan, the northern portion of Isabela, and the neighboring Cordillera provinces of Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Ifugao.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin on Wednesday, Pagasa said Signal No. 1 remained hoisted over Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, and the extreme northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta), including the Polillo Islands.

As of Wednesday morning, Pagasa said Maymay was almost stationary at 310 kilometers east northeast of Baler town in Aurora as it packed maximum sustained winds of 45 km per hour and gustiness of up to 55 kph.

Maymay, the state weather bureau said, may weaken into a low pressure area before making landfall in Aurora.

Malacañang on Wednesday said President Marcos was “closely monitoring” the storm and was in “constant communication” with concerned Cabinet offices, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is prepositioning relief goods in evacuation centers in areas that will be affected by Maymay.

In Aurora province, Gov. Christian Noveras suspended classes in all public and private schools on Wednesday in anticipation of Maymay’s landfall.

In Quezon, classes in the towns of Infanta, General Nakar, Real, and the island municipalities of Panukulan, Burdeos, Patnanungan and Jomalig were also suspended Wednesday due to the threat of Maymay. These areas were hit by Supertyphoon Karding (international name: Noru) last month

—WITH REPORTS FROM DELFIN MALLARI JR., TONETTE OREJAS, JEROME ANING, FRANCES MANGOSING, AND ABBY BOISER

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