Floodwaters shut down portion of Maharlika Highway in Lopez, Quezon

An advisory from the municipal government of Lopez, Quezon informing the public that a kilometer -long section of the Maharlika Highway is not passable to all types of vehicles.  (Photo from the Lopez municipality Facebook page)

LUCENA CITY — Floodwaters inundated nearly a  kilometer – long section of Maharlika Highway in Lopez, Quezon due to Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) and rendered the route impassable to all kinds of vehicles.

Melchor Avenilla Jr., head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the highway in Barangay Canda Ibaba in Lopez town was submerged in floodwaters after Typhoon of Ulysses dumped heavy rains in the area since Wednesday night.

“It is the same area that was also flooded during Typhoon Pepito (on October 18),” he said on local television on Thursday.

The municipal government of Lopez posted on social media photos of the chest-high flood along the  highway with an accompanying traffic advisory that the same is not passable to all types of vehicles.

The same section of the highway was also flooded last month because of torrential rains and high tide.

The Pandanan River located in neighboring Calauag town overflowed due to heavy rains and rushing seawater that stranded about 1,500 vehicles for two days.

Canda Ibaba is the last village of Lopez along the boundary of Calauag.

Avenilla said a landslide also occurred in another section of the Maharlika Highway in Calauag that also blocked vehicles.

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