Tuguegarao: 40 of 49 barangays flooded, mayor says

Forty out of 49 barangays in Tuguegarao, Cagayan are still inundated by flooding due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, Mayor Jefferson Soriano said Saturday.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Soriano said that though the flow of the water was still strong, the water level was slowly receding.

“Malakas pa po ang agos ng tubig, malalim pa po, pero umaraw-araw na po dito at bahagyang humuhupa po ang tubig. Pero mabagal po mabagal. 80 percent, more than 80 percent ang underwater dito sa Tuguegarao,” Soriano said.

The mayor said that the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and other local government units were helping to evacuate residents.

“Nineteen na evacuation centers na activated. Mga 3,000 pa lang ang nandoon sa mga evacuation centers namin. Marami pa po kaming i post-evacuate, post evacuation pa po kami ngayon,” he said.

The province of Cagayan has been placed under a state of calamity.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDDRMO) of Cagayan said that the flooding was worse compared to previous calamities.

“Kung i-compare natin ‘yung pangyayari ng baha nung nakaraang taon, eh mas malala ngayon sa taong ito. Dahil last year is 11.27 meters Buntun Bridge ang kataas ng tubig, ngayon nag register ng 13,” PDRRMO head retired Colonel Atanacio Macalan said in a separate interview.

“So halos lahat, entire Tuguegarao City ay lumubog sa tubig baha. And ‘yung mga municipality along Cagayan River ay lumubog rin, lubog rin,” he added.

Macalan said that total casualties in Tuguegarao were recorded at three while five were recorded in Baggao. —JST, GMA News