Storm Enteng sets off floods, landslides

Thousands strandedat ports; flights canceled

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Enteng set off landslides and unleashed pounding rain that flooded many areas in Luzon starting Sunday night until yesterday, killing at least 11 people, according to reports from local authorities and wire agencies.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), however, had listed only two fatalities and 10 injuries in Central Visayas on its official tally of casualties as of last night, based on its 8 a.m. report.

Enteng was spotted at 115 kilometers northeast of Infanta, Quezon by midday yesterday, with sustained winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 90 kph, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Enteng was moving northwestward at 15 kph near the eastern coast of northern Luzon, where PAGASA warned of possible flashfloods and landslides in mountainous provinces.

A landslide hit two small shanties on a hillside in Antipolo City in Rizal, killing at least three people including a pregnant woman, according to disaster mitigation officer Enrilito Bernardo Jr.

Four other villagers drowned in swollen creeks, Bernardo said.

According to Philippine National Police (PNP) Rizal provincial director Col. Felipe Maraggun, five persons, including two minor children, died in the landslide and from drowning that occurred in the city.

Maraggun said two children aged 12 and 15 were sleeping inside their house along Daang Pari in Sitio Hinapao in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City at around 9:50 a.m. yesterday when the soil adjacent to it eroded toward their place, causing the victims to be buried in the landslide. Adjacent households were also buried.

“There was ongoing retrieval operation in the landslide area,” Maraggun said.

The victims were rushed to the Rizal Provincial Hospital Annex 11 in Barangay Dalig, but were declared dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, Maraggun said three unidentified persons reportedly drowned along a riverside in the city after they were washed away by big and strong currents.

He added that aside from Antipolo, the towns of Cainta, Teresa, Tanay and Pililla were also flooded due to the continuous rains in the areas.

Rizal’s Provincial Monitoring Action Center has been formed to monitor the situation and provide assistance to affected families and households.

As of 1 p.m. yesterday, the Antipolo Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) said 349 families or 1,136 individuals were staying at 18 evacuation centers.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told reporters without elaborating that two other people died and 10 others were injured in landslides set off by the storm in the central part of the country.

Two residents died in stormy weather in Naga City, Camarines Sur, where floodwaters swamped several communities, according to police.

Authorities were verifying if the deaths, including one caused by electrocution, were weather-related.

Storm warnings were raised in a large swath of Luzon, including in Metro Manila, where schools at all levels and most government work were suspended due to the storm.

Along the crowded banks of Marikina River in the eastern fringes of the capital, a siren was sounded in the morning to warn thousands of residents to brace for evacuation in case the river water continues to rise and overflows due to heavy rains.

In the provinces of Cavite and Northern Samar, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel used rubber boats and ropes to rescue and evacuate dozens of villagers who were engulfed in waist- to chest-high floods.

The NDRRMC said Enteng affected 63 people or 14 families in Central Visayas. Of the figure, 43 persons or nine families are staying at an evacuation center.

The PNP in Bicol reported three fatalities due to electrocution and drowning, but the report is pending validation from local DRRMO.

The NDRRMC also reported the collapse of two structures and landslide in the same region.

The Office of Civil Defense instructed concerned OCD regional directors to ensure that advisories, preparedness and response measures for Enteng and the southwest monsoon are effectively implemented and communicated to the affected local government units (LGUs).

Enteng intensifies

Enteng yesterday intensified into a tropical storm and was expected to develop into a typhoon as it battered Luzon and the Visayas, according to PAGASA.

At a briefing, PAGASA weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio noted that tropical cyclone wind signals were raised in almost all areas in Luzon after Enteng intensified from tropical depression into a tropical storm.

“The entire Luzon and the Visayas experienced rains because of the (storm) and the southwest monsoon,” Aurelio said.

The state weather bureau added that Enteng further intensified as it made landfall in the vicinity of Casiguran, Aurora at 2 p.m. yesterday.

“Tropical Storm Enteng is now in Quirino province after making landfall in Casiguran, Aurora,” according to PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Enteng’s center was in the vicinity of Maddela, Quirino with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center, gustiness of up to 140 kph as it moved north-northwestward at 20 kph.

Enteng was forecast to continue moving north-northwestward or northward over Cagayan Valley or northern Cordillera Administrative Region before turning west-northwestward over the Babuyan Channel by morning today.

From afternoon today to Thursday, Enteng will move generally westward over the West Philippine Sea, according to PAGASA.

It said Enteng may exit the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow morning or afternoon.

“Tropical Storm Enteng is forecast to maintain tropical storm category during its traverse of mainland Northern Luzon. Further intensification is forecast to occur from Tuesday afternoon onwards, with Enteng becoming a severe tropical storm by Tuesday afternoon or evening at the earliest and typhoon category by Thursday,” the state weather bureau added.

Under PAGASA’s tropical cyclone wind signal system, super typhoon is declared if it has sustained winds of 185 kph; typhoon,118 to 184 kph; severe tropical storm, 89 to 117 kph; tropical storm, 62 to 88 kph and tropical depression less than 61 kph.

PAGASA said that tropical cyclone wind signal No. 2 was hoisted in Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the eastern portion of Kalinga (Rizal, Pinukpuk, City of Tabuk), Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Quirino, and the northern portion of Aurora (Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Baler).

Tropical cyclone wind signal No. 1 was raised in Metro Manila, Batanes, Ilocos Sur, La Union, the eastern portion of Pangasinan (Rosales, Asingan, Binalonan, Sison, San Manuel, Santa Maria, Balungao, San Quintin, Tayug, Umingan, Natividad, San Nicolas), Abra, the rest of Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, the rest of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, the eastern portion of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, City of San Jose del Monte, Obando, City of Meycauayan, Bocaue, Balagtas, Bustos, Baliuag, Pandi, Santa Maria, Marilao, Angat, San Rafael, San Ildefonso, San Miguel), Rizal, the northeastern portion of Laguna (Santa Maria, Mabitac, Pakil, Pangil, Famy, Siniloan) and the northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real) including Polillo Islands.

Aurelio said that today, 100 to 200 millimeters of rain will be experienced in Ilocos Sur, Abra, Occidental Mindoro, northern Palawan, including Calamian, Cuyo and Cagayancillo Islands, Zambales and Bataan and 50 to 100 mm of rain in Metro Manila, Benguet, the rest of Ilocos region, Calabarzon, the rest of Palawan, Romblon, Tarlac, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

“Flooding and rain-induced landslides are likely especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in areas with considerable rains for the past several days,” he said.

Impact on Metro Manila

Heavy rains and gusty winds from Enteng and the enhanced southwest monsoon flooded anew portions of Metro Manila, knocked down trees and poles and tore tarpaulins from huge billboards.

Three poles from a telecommunications company fell due to strong rains and winds along Padre Burgos Street in Ermita, Manila, while two more telecommunications posts broke after being hit by a camachile tree that also fell along Bonifacio Drive around 7 a.m. yesterday, according to radio reports.

The cable wires from the three tumbled poles blocked both directions of Padre Burgos Street, making it off-limits to motorists.

Personnel from the Manila city government and the police removed and chopped the fallen tree, poles and cable wires along the two roads, which are both near the Rizal Park and Roxas Boulevard.

The affected roads reopened around noon.

Another huge tree fell and blocked a portion of Bacood and Magtanggol Streets in Sta. Mesa, which was cut up and cleared by personnel from the Manila city government.

Amid heavy rainfall warnings issued by PAGASA that warned of flooding in low-lying areas, portions of Taft Avenue and España Boulevard in Manila were inundated anew, but subsided before noon.

The Manila DRRMO reported that there were no flooded roads as of 11:40 a.m.

While there was no traffic build-up in the city, some commuters struggled to catch rides on public transport vehicles such as jeeps and buses along Taft Avenue.

Strong waves from Manila Bay flooded parts of Baseco Compound in Manila as water splashed beyond the breakwater, forcing 10 families from Barangay 649 to flee their homes and evacuate to a nearby covered court.

Officials of Barangay 105 in Tondo, also near Manila Bay, implemented pre-emptive evacuation for its residents.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported flooding in several roads in Metro Manila, which all subsided by noon: Commonwealth Avenue near University Avenue in Quezon City; EDSA-Roxas Boulevard intersection in Pasay City; Sucat Road or Dr. A. Santos Avenue near Evacom in Parañaque City; Belfast Street near a mall in Quezon City and EDSA-Shaw Boulevard tunnel in Mandaluyong City.

The following roads remained flooded, according to the MMDA: Andrews Avenue and Almazor Street intersection in Pasay City with eight inches of flood; Dr. A. Santos in front of Olivarez College in Parañaque City (eight inches); Circulo del Mundo in Barangay 183, Pasay City (eight inches) and Dr. A. Santos Avenue in front of Parañaque National High School (four inches).

The agency’s Metrobase also recorded road crash incidents along Quezon Avenue, portions of EDSA in Quezon City and Makati City, parts of C-5 in Quezon City, Katipunan Avenue, Congressional Avenue, Quirino Avenue in Manila and Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City as roads became slippery due to intermittent rains.

Incidents of multiple vehicular collisions, vehicles bumping from behind and self-accidents were also reported.

A tarpaulin from a huge billboard in front of a mall along EDSA was torn and left fluttering while a few cars were driving by, according to videos shared on social media.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ordered billboard operators in Metro Manila to roll down tarpaulins “to prevent any untoward accidents.”

Floods also hit areas in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela amid Enteng’s onslaught yesterday, prompting evacuation.

At least 633 individuals were evacuated in the city and are being taken care of by the city’s social welfare and development office, according to Caloocan public information office chief Princess Garcia.

Garcia said the Caloocan DRRMO reported roads in the city that were not passable but floods subsided in the afternoon.

In Malabon, at least 15 families were evacuated from Barangay Tinajeros and Potrero due to flooding in the city.

The city also experienced floods two to five inches deep while there was also high tide.

Navotas’ chief publicist Irish Cubillan told The STAR that at least 38 families were evacuated in Barangays Sipac Almacen, Navotas West, Daanghari and San Roque. They are currently staying at evacuation centers in the city.

At least 86 families in Valenzuela sought shelter in 10 evacuation centers in the city from Barangays Bignay, Viente Reales, Lingunan, Coloong, Lawang Bato, Marulas and Gen. T. De Leon.

The local government reported that evacuees were provided with 330 hot meals, 12 gallons of water and 15 blue bags.

No casualties or injuries were reported by CAMANAVA LGUs.

Thousands stranded

In related developments, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the number of stranded people waiting at seaports rose to more than 3,000 because Enteng.

Data provided by the PCG showed that as of noon yesterday, a total of 3,383 passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers were stranded in various ports in four regions in Southern Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas.

The PCG also noted that 47 vessels, 718 rolling cargoes and three motorized boats were also stranded at the ports, while 35 vessels and 16 motorized boats took shelter.

Dams release water

Dam officials yesterday started to release water from Ipo, Binga and Ambuklao dams after the three reservoirs reached spilling level, according to PAGASA’s Hydrometeorology Division.

At a press conference, PAGASA hydrologist Rosalie Pagulayan said that as of 8 a.m. yesterday, Ipo Dam’s water level reached 101.30 meters or 0.20 meters above its spilling level of 101.10 meters.

Dam officials also released water from Binga Dam after it reached 571.96 meters or 3.04 meters from its normal high water level of 575 meters. The water from Binga will go to San Roque Dam, which is in Pangasinan.

Flight cancellations

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) yesterday announced the cancellation of 29 domestic flights due to bad weather in their destinations as of noon.

Philippine Airlines sister company PAL Express canceled flights 2P 2921/2922 and 2P 2923//2924 Manila-Daraga-Manila, 2P 2671/2672 Manila-Calbayog-Manila, 2P 2963/2964 and 2P 2965/2966 Manila-Busuanga-Manila and 2P 2953/2954 Manila-Zamboanga-Manila.

Cebu Pacific canceled six domestic flights from Manila to Daraga and Virac and vice versa — Bella Cariaso, Ghio Ong, Mark Ernest Villeza, Ed Amoroso, Evelyn Macairan, Rudy Santos, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Daphne Galvez, Delon Porcalla, Artemio Dumlao