Evacuation recommended as La Mesa Dam placed on red alert

Residents in Quezon City and in the Camanava area along the Tullahan River were asked to evacuate as red alert was raised at the La Mesa Dam at noon Saturday.

La Mesa plant manager Teddy Angeles said water elevation at the dam has reached 79.62 meters, just 53 centimeters below the overflow level.

"Recommend evacuation," Angeles said in a text message.

The overflow level of La Mesa Dam is at 80.15 meters.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said on radio dzBB that barangays along Tullahan River, from Fairview to the boundary of Bagbag and Baesa, have been prepared for evacuation since yesterday.

"We are on red alert and lahat ng barangay ito, 143 barangays, yung kanilang Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Team," he said.

As of Friday evening, about 100 families have been evacuated from their homes to barangay halls and other evacuation centers.

Most of these families came from areas in the 1st District of Quezon City, including barangays along the San Francisco River --  Masambong and Damayan -- and Doña Imelda in the 4th District.

The mayor also advised residents along areas with ongoing infrastructure and drainage repair projects such as Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon Boulevard, and Mother Ignacia Street to stay indoors.

"Mag-ingat ingat po tayo. Kung wala naman ring dahilan na lumabas e 'wag na ho tayong lumabas, mas maganda yung safe tayo sa ating mga bahay,"  Bautista said.

Local government units in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela have also been alerted against possible flooding in residential areas along the Tullahan River.

In its heavy rainfall warning issued at noon, PAGASA raised the orange warning level and warned that flooding "is still threatening" in Caloocan, Navotas, Valenzuela, Quezon City and Manila.

The same warning was issued on provinces near the National Capital Region (NCR) including Zambales, Pampanga and Bulacan.

The rest of NCR and the provinces of Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Tarlac was placed on yellow warning level and warned against "flooding in low-lying areas."

Rainy weather is expected for the whole week, PAGASA said. —ALG, GMA News