THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) went on red alert Sunday, August 12, as intense southwest monsoon rains continued to pound Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.

As of 3 p.m. Sunday, weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) continued to raise the orange warning level over Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Rizal. Orange means intense rains threaten flooding in these areas.

Yellow warning, for heavy rains, is up over the provinces of Cavite, Quezon, Zambales and Bataan. Light to moderate rains persist in Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Laguna.

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said a total of 6,616 families of 34,426 individuals evacuated due to severe flooding.

He said most of the affected areas were in the northern part of Metro Manila, particularly the Camanava area, and the eastern part particularly Marikina City, where severe flooding was experienced as the water level of the Marikina River continued to rise.

On Saturday night, Marikina City raised the 3rd alarm as the water level reached 20.4 meters. This means all residents in low-lying areas were required to evacuate. The water level receded to 16.1 meters as of 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

Under a red alert status, NDRRMC operations alert teams are required to be on duty 24/7 to ensure continuous coordination with other concerned government agencies involved in emergency and calamity response.

The agencies concerned include Pagasa, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units.

Eleazar said there is no longer any report of stranded persons or motorists on the streets in the metro. Several vehicles were stranded in several areas due to flooded streets on Saturday.

The PNP remains on alert, however, as the Marikina River has reached a critical level. If it overflows, flooding could affect not only Marikina but also Quezon City and other neighboring areas.

Pagasa said Tropical Storm Karding (international name: Yagi) has already exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but it will continue enhancing the southwest monsoon, or hanging habagat, along with another tropical storm named Leepi which will continue to bring moderate to heavy rains in Luzon and parts of Visayas.

At about 10 a.m. Sunday, tropical storm Leepi was spotted at 2,135 kilometer east of extreme northern Luzon, outside the PAR.

It was moving north northwestward and is not expected to enter PAR but may affect several areas in Luzon until Tuesday as it enhances the southwest monsoon. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)