Marikina Mayor Teodoro: Nao-overwhelm na kami, parang Ondoy na ito

Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro on Thursday morning said due to Typhoon Ulysses, the floodwaters in the city have continued to go up nearing Ondoy level that authorities are now overwhelmed.

"Nao-overwhelm na kami sa extent, magnitude ng baha na nararanasan namin. 20.9 [meters] na kami water level [sa Marikina River]. Ibig sabihin parang Ondoy na ito," the mayor said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, referring to the widespread flooding that occurred during Tropical Storm Ondoy's onslaught in 2009.

"Malakas pa rin ang pag-ulan," Teodoro said, adding that the water level of Marikina River continues to rise.

"Nagtataka na nga kami. Hindi ganito ang karaniwang nangyayari," he said.

Teodoro said many trees also fell as Ulysses brought heavy winds as it crossed Luzon before dawn on Thursday.

"Maraming bumagsak na puno dahil sa lakas ng hangin," he said.

"We are preparing for worst case scenario," Teodoro said, as floodwaters reached the ceilings of some houses.

"Ganito rin nangyari sa amin sa Ondoy dahil sa laki ng area ng binaha," he said.

Teodoro appealed to the Philippine Coast Guard for help.

"Kung makakatugon sila sa lalong madaling panahon sana," he said.

The mayor said they need additional rescue boats and rescue personnel. Many residents were stranded and some of them had hypothermia, he said.

At 3:18 a.m., the water level was at 18 meters in the Marikina River, prompting the raising of the third alarm. This means forced evacuation of residents living nearby.

Metro Manila was placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 due to Ulysses. --KG, GMA News