Bid to ease Isabela flooding starts as Kristine impact unfolds

CAUAYAN CITY, ISABELA, Philippines—As daylight broke on Thursday, Oct. 24, residents in Isabela and workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) started clearing compounds and roads hit by flooding overnight.

It was 12:30 am when Severe Tropical Storm Kristine made landfall in the coastal town of Divilacan, Isabela, but the intense rain it brought did not spare the rest of the province.

RELATED STORY: Isabela evacuates thousands as Kristine threatens coastal towns

Along the national highway in Echague town, as Kristine submerged a stretch of houses, residents used a water pump to flush water out from their compound, which was swamped in nearly knee-deep flood.

They told INQUIRER.net that without a water pump, they would have to wait until evening or Friday, Oct. 25 for the water to recede. “That is why we really need to make use of this,” they said in Ilocano.

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WATCH: Residents here in Echague, Isabela make use of a water pump to take floodwaters out of their compound aftet the onslaught of #KristinePH. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/gSsHAxiyRZ

— Kurt Adrian Dela Peña (@AdrianINQ) October 24, 2024

DPWH workers started clearing roads, too, removing soil and water plants from the side of the road, saying that the debris was blocking the flow of rainwater, making it hard to recede, especially since rivers across the province have spilled over already.

As of 12 pm, the disaster response office of Isabela warned that the water level of the Cagayan River is still rising, so water activities are still not permitted because of “extreme danger.”

Only one spillway gate of the Magat Dam is open at two meters with an estimated discharge of 307 cubic meters each second. Water level is at 183.25 meters, the National Irrigation Administration said.

READ: 7 overflow bridges in Isabela not passable due to Kristine