Flood forces Rizal families to 2nd floor, roof of houses

SAN PEDRO CITY –– Hundreds of families were trapped and needed rescue after floodwater submerged parts of Rodriguez and San Mateo in Rizal amid heavy rains spawned by Typhoon “Ulysses” (international name: Vamco).

Resident Antonette Gono said her family in Barangay San Jose in Rodriguez had been waiting for rescue since Wednesday evening.

“There were about four families (in that area), with children. They were up on the roof,” Gono said in a Facebook chat with the Inquirer.

Flood also displaced families from Barangay Kasiglahan, Rodriguez.

In San Mateo, an overwhelming number of calls for rescue also flooded social media sites and disaster response volunteer groups, specifically those in North Libis and Felicidad Village 3 in Barangay Banaba and Barangay Maly.

In Cainta, Mayor Johnielle Keith Nieto said all eight gates of the Manggahan floodway were opened due to the swollen Marikina River and the amount of water from the upland parts of San Mateo and Rodriquez.

“It might take a while before the water subsides,” he said in a Facebook post.

Alex Masiglat, spokesperson of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said rescue operations had been going on since Wednesday evening but it took some time for responders to reach everyone calling for help due to the sheer size of the affected population in Rizal.

“There are just too many. In one area alone, there were about 400 families that had to be evacuated,” Masiglat said in an interview.

LZB