Alert up at San Roque Dam as water nears spilling level

Water in the San Roque Dam, the biggest embankment dam in the Philippines, was nearing its spilling level early Sunday morning, as Typhoon Karen was cutting through the Luzon landmass, state media said.

A report posted on the Philippine Information Agecy website said water level in the dam was at 275.23 meters above sea level—the spilling level is 280 MASL.

ALERT: SAN ROQUE DAM UPDATE
16 Oct 2016 #KarenPH pic.twitter.com/8viRTO9aZf

— PIA Desk (@PIADesk) October 15, 2016

The PIA said the dam's water level struck the 275.23 mark at 3:30 a.m.

The Dam is located in San Roque Pangasinan, spanning across some towns in Benguet province.

Pangasinan was under Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3, when Typhoon Karen was in the vicinity of Alfonso Castaneda, Nueva Vizcaya Sunday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers-per-hour and gusts of up to 210 kph.

Karen's estimated rainfall amount within the typhoon's 500 kilometer diameter was from moderate to heavy.

Elsha Marie Soriano of PIA-Pangasinan, said residents are advised to exercise necessary precautions and monitor the dam's situation. —LBG, GMA News