Manila (EFE).- The heavy rains and floods that have hit Manila in recent days, without giving a respite to the northern Philippines hit by Typhoon Wipha last week, paralyzed the city on Tuesday and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents in vulnerable areas.
More than 23,000 residents of Quezon City, one of the main cities in the Manila metropolis, sought refuge in evacuation centers due to the torrential rains, Bianca Perez, spokeswoman for the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, told public television station PTV.
In addition to flooding homes in low-lying areas, the rains caused several of the capital’s main thoroughfares to flood today, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority reported.
The La Mesa Dam, which supplies water to the metropolitan area of Manila and surrounding areas, also exceeded its capacity and continued to overflow Tuesday, exacerbating problems in Quezon City.
The presidential palace announced the suspension of all classes Tuesday in Manila, but also in other northern regions of the archipelago such as Zambales and Pampanga. This suspension also affected government employees in positions considered non-essential.
The rains also forced the suspension of at least a dozen flights, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
At least six people have died and six others remain missing due to the combined effects of Typhoon Wipah, known locally as Crising, which brushed the archipelago without making landfall Friday, and rainfall associated with the rainy season. This is according to the latest bulletin from the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The Philippines experiences about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, especially during the rainy season, which typically begins in June and ends in November or December.
Last year, the country experienced an unusual onslaught of six consecutive tropical storms in less than a month, leaving at least 164 dead and nearly $500,000 in losses.
This series of cyclones affected some 10 million people, according to authorities in the country, and forced the evacuation of more than 650,000 residents from at-risk areas.
The Philippine Meteorological Agency is monitoring the development of two low-pressure zones in the Philippine Sea, one of which has a high probability of developing into a cyclone in the next 24 hours. EFE
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