Huge floods in Manila due to 'Pedring'

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

MANILA (Updated 1:04 p.m.) -- Massive flooding hit Manila after Typhoon Pedring (international codename: Nesat) made landfall Tuesday.

Along downtown Manila's baywalk, cars and buses were stuck and residents waded through floodwaters as waves as high as palm trees washed over the seawall, turning a six-lane highway into a huge brown river.

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Sidewalks and entrances to buildings were swamped and vehicles struggled to navigate the narrow streets.

Around the central Robinsons shopping mall, fierce winds toppled tables and tree branches, sending people for cover. Visibility was poor as the rain obscured the view. One pedestrian was injured by falling debris and was bloodied.

Manila Hospital moved patients from its ground floor, where waters were neck-deep, spokeswoman Evangeline Morales said. Hospital generators were flooded and the building had no power since early Tuesday.

Visibility in the city was poor, with pounding rains obscuring the view. Emergency workers were evacuating river areas in the city that are notorious for flooding.

Residents living beside a river carry belongings as they evacuate to higher grounds in Navotas, north of Manila, Tuesday due to Typhoon Pedring. (AP photo)

In other parts of Manila, emergency workers were evacuating river areas that are notorious for flooding.

Residents in one neighborhood of Quezon City were fleeing their homes due to rising water from the nearby San Mateo River.

Residents in Marikina City were also forced evacuated after the Marikina River already reached near the 18-meter level.

In the financial district of Makati, a billboard fell on two cars and a bus, causing injuries.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said "Pedring" slightly weakened after making landfall over the boundary of Aurora and Isabela provinces Tuesday morning.

Pagasa said "Pedring" packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) from 140 kph near the center.

Pagasa said the typhoon is expected to move west northwest at 19 kph and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Wednesday afternoon.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the eye of the typhoon was located at 100 kilometers east of Baguio City.

Storm signal number three is still hoisted over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Viscaya, and Pangasinan.

Signal number two is up over Apayao, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Bataan, and Metro Manila.

Signal number is hoisted over Babuyan, Calayan group of Islands,
Northern Quezon, Polillo Island, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Island, and Cavite.

Residents in low lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signals are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas are alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by this tropical cyclone.

Typhoon Pedring is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring scattered to widespread rains over southern Luzon and Visayas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a one-year-old baby drowned in Cataduanes province after falling into a river.

Four fishermen also went missing while more than 50 others were rescued along eastern shores after their boats overturned in choppy seas. Forecasters warned of 12-foot-high (4-meter-high) waves.

The NDRRMC activated its units in affected regions and provinces to implement a pre-emptive evacuation in anticipation of the typhoon.

Heavy downpours and winds prompted the closure of government offices, schools and universities in the capital, while scores of domestic flights were canceled and inter-island ferries grounded, stranding thousands.

The Philippine Stock Exchange and U.S. Embassy were also closed Tuesday. Waters at the gates of the embassy compound, which is located along Manila Bay, reached chest-deep.

"Pedring" is the 16th weather disturbance to hit the country this year. About 20 storms and typhoons lash the Southeast Asian nation each year.(AP/Sunnex)