At least 7 dead in Cagayan province due to floods

November 14, 2020 6:53:00 AM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13) — At least seven people in Cagayan province were killed by landslides, drowning and electrocution after typhoon Ulysses’ (internationl name: Vamco) rains caused floods in the area, local officials said on Friday.

As of 7 p.m., provincial authorities said four people died in Baggao town following a landslide, while one person drowned and two others died of electrocution in the town of Alcala. Three more were injured, it added.

The floods reached 193 barangays housing over 47,000 residents, the Cagayan government reported. There were 22,949 persons from 195 barangays who were able to evacuate, it added.

However, photos from the provincial government’s Facebook page showed that there are still families stranded on the roof of their houses. Officials said rescuers have already been notified.

This comes as five gates of the Magat Dam have been opened. The dam connects the Magat River to the Cagayan River and is one of the largest dams in the country. The water level under the Buntun Bridge, which stands over the Cagayan River, is also at the “very critical” level of 13.3 meters, the local government warned.

Almost under water

The Tuguegarao City Command Center told CNN Philippines that almost the entire province is under water.

The city only has the police and one rescue team to work overnight while residents in three barangay still need to be rescued, an official from the center said. Barangay Linao’s floods are about 4.5 meters deep, the official said.

The city disaster management office later clarified that the city has a rescue group of four teams, but rescuers outside the city were unable to enter since access roads are flooded.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesperson Mark Timbal said personnel from the military, coast guard, fire bureau and police have been deployed to assist provincial forces. He said regional forces have been prepositioned ahead of Typhoon Ulysses. The typhoon is out of the country but it spawned heavy rains.

Vice President Leni Robredo also said her team reached out to the military to respond to the situation in Cagayan. She said the Army sent a platoon on Thursday but was not able to deploy more personnel since one of the towns was no longer passable due to neck-high floods.

The NDRRMC’s latest report on Friday morning confirmed at least 12 died, eight were injured and four are missing, while other agencies are reporting more casualties. Discrepancies in figures are a usual occurrence in the aftermath of a disaster, with officials needing to validate reports. The NDRRMC did not a provide a breakdown of the fatalities.

SOURCE: https://cnnphilippines.com/regional/2020/11/13/cagayan-death-toll-ulysses.html