SEVERAL areas in Metro Manila experienced flooding anew yesterday because of rains from the southwest monsoon enhanced by typhoon “Fabian.”
Fabian is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility tonight or Saturday morning, but will continue enhancing the southwest monsoon on its way out, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Signal No. 1 remained up over Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it monitored gutter deep floods at the EDSA Shrine Northbound, EDSA Ortigas split northbound, and EDSA-Philippine Overseas Employment Association (POEA) southbound in Mandaluyong City, on Roxas boulevard-Pedro Gil street southbound and Roxas Blvd-Quirino northbound in Manila.
The MMDA said floods were also observed in some areas in Malabon City, Marikina City, Makati City, and Parañaque City.
Several areas in Metro Manila also experienced flooding on Wednesday.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 25 areas in Metro Manila (National Capital Region) and the Mimaropa region were flooded yesterday and Wednesday while hundreds were displaced due to southwest monsoon rains enhanced by Fabian. Floods in most of the areas have subsided, it said.
PAGASA, in a bulletin, said Fabian was some 505 km northeast of Itbayat, Batanes as of 3 p.m. yesterday. Fabian was slowly moving westward over the Philippine Sea, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph
PAGASA said Metro Manila, Ilocos, and Mimaropa regions and the provinces of Benguet, Abra, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas will continue to experience rains due to the southwest monsoon.
Western Visayas and the rest of Luzon will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms also due to southwest monsoon.
The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms also due to the southwest monsoon.
The NDRRMC said inclement weather also caused two motor bancas to capsize in the provinces of Antique and in Quezon. The 39 passengers and crew of the boats were all rescued, officials said.
The NDRRMC said four rain-induced landslides were reported in Western Visayas — four in Tobias town and one in Barbaza, both in Antique. Clearing operations were promptly conducted by authorities.
The NDRRMC said 190 families or 662 individuals from Mimaropa and Western Visayas regions were displaced. Of the number, 132 families or 472 individuals are housed in seven evacuation centers while the rest are staying with their families and friends. — Noel Talacay and Victor Reyes
