‘Karen’ moves away from PAR, floods Luzon

MANILA - Heavy rains since Friday until Saturday brought by southwest monsoon caused flooding in several low-lying areas in some villages in the adjacent cities of Quezon, San Juan and Manila.

The state weather bureau said Saturday that although Typhoon "Karen" (international name: Sanba) continues to move away from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), it will still continue to enhance the southwest monsoon that brought moderate to heavy rains over many areas in Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that as of 10 a.m. Saturday, Karen was located at 660 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 220 kph.

Karen, as it heads toward Japan, will continue to bring heavy rains over Central Luzon, Metro Manila, the Bicol region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).

Karen is forecast to move north-northwest at 15 kph and is expected to be out of the PAR by Sunday morning.

The Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety said it monitored nine barangays under waist- to about six-foot deep floodwaters on Saturday morning.

Twenty-eight families were evacuated to the Diosdado Macapagal Elementary School in Tatalon, 32 families to the Doña Imelda Barangay Hall, and 10 to the Trinity Elementary School in Barangay Damayan Lagi.

Flooding was also reported in some areas in Barangays Del Monte, Sto. Domingo and Masambong.

In San Juan, 102 families were temporarily housed at the San Juan gymnasium due to floodwaters in their area.

The San Juan City Risk Reduction and Management Office in Barangay Balong-Bato said six-foot deep floodwaters forced residents to evacuate their homes as early as 3 a.m. Saturday.

Likewise, residents in the villages of Salapan, Batis, Kabayanan, San Perfecto, Rivera and Progreso also experienced three-and-a-half feet to six-feet deep floodwaters before dawn Saturday.

Several portions of Manila also experienced heavy flooding, stranding many people, mostly students, along Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. in Sta. Mesa and Espana Ave. in Sampaloc.

Many areas near the Manila City Hall also got flooded but the streets remained passable to vehicles.

Classes in Metro Manila were suspended Saturday due to heavy rains and flooding.

Meanwhile, one person was killed because of Typhoon Karen, disaster officials said Saturday.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council identified the fatality as Juan Cabales, 70, of Bugo village in Tomas Oppus town in Southern Leyte.

The agency said Cabales went fishing at 8 p.m. of September 12 and never went back home. Two days later, his body was found off the shore of Kawayan village in Libangon town in Southern Leyte. (PNA/Sunnex)