Cagayan placed under state of calamity as Ulysses floods kill 9, says gov

The province of Cagayan was placed under a state of calamity on Saturday, Governor Manuel Mamba said.

Mamba said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB the declaration was made by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan at around 11 a.m. due to the widespread flooding that occurred in the province after Typhoon Ulysses passed through Luzon on Thursday.

Nine people have died due to the effects of Ulysses in the province, according to Mamba. He said four died from a landslide, two from drowning, and three from electrocution.

The latest fatality was a rescuer who got electrocuted from a power line of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

Many residents in the province had to stay on their rooftops for more than 24 hours due to the widespread flooding following heavy rains from Typhoon Ulysses.

Rescuers have been doing their best to get to stranded individuals. More than 3,700 personnel have already been deployed to rescue those in Cagayan and Isabela, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Saturday.

'Hindi kami makaikot'

Mamba said they are still having a hard time conducting search and rescue operations since main thoroughfares within and around the province remain impassable.

"Hindi ho kami makaikot. Wala pong madaanan. Sarado lahat. It is only through water and hindi ka naman makalayo," he said.

"Ang highway dito underwater. Iyong buong valley from Cordillera to Sierra Madre puno ho lahat yan ng tubig. Hindi mo na ma-discern from above saan ang Cagayan, saan ang highway," he added.

He said entry points to the province via Aparri and Isabela are all impassable and "underwater."

He said a number of non-government groups who have signified their intention to send rescue assets are still unable to reach them due to the inaccessible roads.

"May commitment po na magdadating. May nagde-deposit din po sa ating account sa provincial government. Ang private sector, may pinapadala rin po na tulong and commitment. Pero physical na dummadating dito. mahihirapna po sila dahil iyong mga highway natin," he said.

He said their local rescuers, though already exhausted from three days of non-stop operation, continue to look for trapped families, though they have to suspend at night due to the perils of working in the dark and navigating through deep floods.

Mamba said rescue teams and air assets - like a C130 aircraft - from the national government, including the Armed Forces Forces of the Philippines are on the way.

Tuguegarao

For his part, Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano said they did not expect heavy flooding in their city.

"Lahat po kami hindi namin inasahan ito... Dahil po mas malaki po ito kaysa doon sa baha po na nangyari sa amin last year ng December 5 and 6," Soriano said on state-run People's Television Network (PTV) on Saturday.

"Lahat po ng tao nagbigla dito, bigla rin po ang paglaki ng tubig last November 12," he added.

While not hard-hit by Ulysses on November 12, Soriano said heavy rains in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, and Isabela as well as the spilling of water from the Magat Dam triggered flooding in the city.

"Kami po 'yung unang tinatamaan ng tubig galing po sa mga nabanggit na probinsiya," he said.

“Nag-meet na po ang city council. Katabi ko po si Vice Mayor at tsaka mga konsehales natin. After, mag-meet po 'yung disaster council namin recommending for the declaration of state of calamity in Tuguegarao, na-approve na po ng council namin and ready to go na po kami,” he said.

Total death toll

Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll due to Ulysses reached 33 as of Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The number of injured remained at 22, as did the number of missing at 20. 

Of the 33 fatalities, 16 were from Region II, six from Calabarzon, five from Region V, and six from Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Of the 22 injured, three were from Region III, nine from Calabarzon, eight from Region V, and two from CAR.

Of the 20 missing, meanwhile, five were from Region II, two from Calabarzon, eight from Region V, and five from CAR.

Estimated agricultural damage in Regions I, II, III, V, Calabarzon, and CAR reached P968 million.

Damage to infrastructure in Region I and MIMAROPA was pegged at P253 million.

A total of 3,013 houses in Region I and CAR were damaged. 

The NDRRMC said more than 3,700 personnel have already been deployed as of Saturday morning to rescue stranded individuals in Cagayan and Isabela who were affected by floods. —with Jamil Santos/KG/MDM, GMA News