In Cagayan, floods seen to linger as rivers swell

SWOLLEN Water breaching the banks of Cagayan River floods several communities in Tuguegarao City. This drone shot on Tuesday shows flooded areas in parts of Barangay Centro 10 in Tuguegarao. —Photo courtesy of Cagayan Provincial Information Office

TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN, Philippines — Following four consecutive typhoons that struck the Cagayan Valley region in the past three weeks, local officials are bracing for a repeat of the widespread flooding that submerged several areas along the Cagayan River in 2020.

With floodwaters already submerging parts of the region, experts warned that the situation could worsen and also trigger landslides as water from the mountains started flowing downstream, further swelling the river and raising the level of Magat Dam in Isabela.

“We must stay prepared as the soil has weakened due to successive storms,” Leon Rafael, Office of Civil Defense chief in the region, said in a briefing on Tuesday.

READ: Ofel to make landfall in Isabela or Cagayan on Thursday

Water in Cagayan River, where the Buntun Bridge here spans, rose to a critical 11.4-meter level, and as of Wednesday, 21 villages in Tuguegarao remained flooded, affecting nearly 8,200 residents.

The 2020 deluge from Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) remained fresh in local memory, having submerged 21 Cagayan towns and the capital city of Tuguegarao, along with 22 towns and three cities in nearby Isabela.

It also affected 15 towns in Nueva Vizcaya and five in Quirino. Official reports showed that Ulysses affected over 583,000 people, killed 24, and displaced more than 2,200 families due to landslides and floods.

Experts said Ulysses had a large rain band that reached up to Cagayan, and water from the upper parts of Cagayan flowing downstream to the Cagayan River led to the massive flooding that year.

At that time, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said such widespread flooding was not due to water release from Magat Dam but rather the swelling of the Cagayan River over several weeks.

In succession

In the past three weeks, Cagayan Valley has been hit by a series of storms, beginning with Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami), which made landfall in the province on Oct. 24, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

Kristine was followed by Supertyphoon Leon (Kong-rey), which hit the region on Oct. 28 and 29, and by Typhoon Marce (Yinxing) on Nov. 7.

Tropical Storm Nika (Toraji) devastated the region this week.

Approaching Typhoon Ofel (Usagi) is expected to make landfall in either Cagayan or Isabela, both under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, on Thursday afternoon. This will be followed closely by Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi) later this week.

Pepito could intensify into a supertyphoon with wind speeds reaching 65 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 80 km/h, according to Erick Tappa, forecaster for northern Luzon of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

In a briefing on Wednesday, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba also warned that the recent typhoons had left the soil across Cagayan Valley “severely saturated,” making it highly vulnerable to landslides and mudflows as new storms approach.

“The soil is severely saturated, so we’re urging residents near bodies of water to stay in evacuation centers,” Mamba said, adding that forced evacuation would be enforced for those who would insist to stay in their homes.

According to Mamba, a 38-year-old man died from electrocution in Sta. Ana town and two others remained missing in Amulung town after Nika battered the province on Monday.

Data showed that at least 7,367 families (24,297 people) across 138 barangays in 22 towns in Cagayan alone have been affected. Among them, 3,800 families (12,067 people) remained in evacuation centers as of Wednesday.

Continuing threat

In Tuguegarao City, Mayor Maila Ting-Que has ordered forced evacuations for residents in flood-hit areas, urging them not to return until the threat passes.

“We cannot afford to sacrifice lives,” she told the Inquirer as she called on residents to prioritize safety.

Ting-Que warned against false calls for assistance from those not actually affected by flooding, while Governor Mamba issued a province-wide appeal for donations, citing depleted quick response funds.

As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the Magat Dam reservoir in Isabela reached 188.40 meters above sea level (masl), still below its high normal level of 193 masl.

Several areas in Cagayan Valley remained inaccessible, including Itawes Bridges 1 and 2 in Piat, Cagayan; Cabagan-Santa Maria roads in Santa Maria, Isabela; and Junction Abbag-Nagtipunan-Nueva Vizcaya Road in La Conwap, Nagtipunan, Quirino.

Power supply has yet to be restored in the cities of Santiago and Ilagan in Isabela and the city of Tuguegarao and the towns of Amulung, Solana, Enrile, Tuao, and Alcala in Cagayan.

Classes and government office operations in Tuguegarao were also suspended on Wednesday.