People push a jeepney out of a flooded street in Manila on August 13, 2016. Floods inundated major thoroughfares in the capital after days of monsoon rains. Noel Celis, AFP
MANILA - Residents of Luzon and Western Visayas were asked to brace for more monsoon rains through next week, threatening to aggravate flooding that submerged several areas on Saturday, officials said.
The La Mesa Dam in Manila was close to overflowing late Saturday and residents living by near Tullahan river were asked to evacuate. In Bulacan, residents of Calumpit and Hagonoy towns were alerted for possible evacuation after the Ipo Dam opened at least one gate.
A tropical storm and a weather system east of Luzon will not hit land but will stir the southwest monsoon, bringing rains to large portions of the country for the next three to five days, the state weather bureau said.
Several villages in Pampanga province were submerged in knee-deep to waist-deep floods snarling traffic and stranding commuters. Flash floods also hit busy streets in the capital.
LOOK: Floods swamp Metro Manila, nearby provinces
In Manila, two teenagers died after they were buried by a firewall that collapsed under heavy rains overnight.
“Maging handa po tayo. Maging alerto tayo sa mabababang lugar na prone sa landslide at flash flood [Let’s get ready. Let’s stay alert, especially in low-lying areas that are prone to landslides and flash floods],” Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said in a televised briefing.
Referring to the two weather systems east of Luzon, Aurelio said: “Sila yung parang magnet. Pag may LPA dito, parang magnet automatic itong habagat ay pupunta sa atin [They act like magnets. If there is a low pressure area, it acts like a magnet and the monsoon goes towards our direction],” he said.
The La Mesa Dam was just 0.11 meter below its overflow level of 80.05 meters and an evacuation order was issued as early as 11 a.m., PAGASA hydrologist Sonia Serrano told DZMM.
The Ipo Dam in Bulacan opened one gate at 1:30 p.m. and aside from Calumpit and Hagonoy along the mouth of Manila Bay, floods could also affect Norzagaray, Angat, San Rafael, Bustos, Baliwag, and Plaridel, Serrano said