Flooding alert up in Laguna as rains cause rivers to swell

A Filipino resident has her umbrella blown up by strong winds as she rides a float outside their flooded community along the skirts of the of the swollen Laguna lake in Laguna. AP FILE PHOTO

SAN PEDRO CITY, Philippines—The city government of Biñan in Laguna issued flood warnings at noon Saturday as authorities noted that rivers that empty into Laguna de Bay had been swollen by heavy rain over the last several hours.

“We are monitoring the increasing water level. Our villages are placed on alert should there be any need for an evacuation,” said city information officer Roman Carencia in a phone interview.

Resident Mikee Tanael, 42, said some portions in the lakeside villages of Malaban and Dela Paz were under “neck-deep” water in the morning, but the flood had gone down to waist-deep level at 1:30 p.m.

“The water rose fast but was also quick to recede unlike during (last month’s) typhoon Maring,” which triggered massive floods in the city and nearby towns, he said.

Another Biñan resident, Josefin Malic-Castillo, on Facebook said they had started to lift their belongings to higher levels in their home to keep them safe from the water.

Moderate to heavy rains, coupled with strong winds, were also experienced in parts of Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), according to Eugene Cabrera, the region’s director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

He said waist-deep floodwaters hit Sitio Callejon in Barangay Tibag in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro although authorities had yet to enforce an evacuation. “Our response team is still in the area,” he said in a text message as of 2 p.m.