QC residents near Tullahan River forced to evacuate as La Mesa Dam overflows

Residents near the Tullahan River in Quezon City were forced to evacuate on Monday evening after continuous heavy rain caused the La Mesa Dam to breach its spilling level, and the river surged rapidly.

In a “24 Oras” report by James Agustin on Tuesday, rescuers used rope lines to reach houses in Sitio 1, Barangay North Fairview, where floodwaters reached waist level.

Some residents wrapped their belongings in garbage bags, while others carried their pets as they fled their homes.

Local authorities stated that they had advised residents to leave as early as Monday afternoon, but some were still caught off guard by the rising waters.

“Ito ‘yung pinakamababang lugar na kapag nag-overflow ang La Mesa Dam, nagiging normal ang pagbaha rito,” Barangay North Fairview Councilor Jayve Marigondon said.

(This is the lowest-lying area, so whenever the La Mesa Dam overflows, flooding here becomes normal.)

“Pero kapag ganito po na may enhanced Habagat, lalo kapag may malalakas na bagyo, kapag nag-overflow itong La Mesa Dam, automatically po sa instruction na rin ng local government QCDRRMO, nagpapatupad tayo ng preemptive evacuation hanggang sa forced evacuation,” he added.

(However, during situations like this with an enhanced Southwest Monsoon, especially with strong typhoons, when the La Mesa Dam overflows, we automatically implement preemptive and forced evacuations per instructions from the QCDRRMO.)

A total of 141 families, or 401 individuals, from Sitio 1 and Astor Street evacuated to North Fairview High School. Among them was Roelyn Saro-ay, who was captured on video being carried on a rescuer's shoulders.

“Takot na takot ako, baka malunod ako kasi maliit ako eh, kasi ‘yung tubig umapaw dito sa mga rescue. Nagpatulong lang po ako sa mga rescuer na mabuhat nila,” Saro-ay said.

(I was terrified of drowning because I'm short, and the water was already overflowing past the rescuers. I just asked them to help carry me.)

Many residents were able to evacuate preemptively, including Emma Samson, who stayed at the evacuation center with her newborn grandchild.

“Pumasok na ‘yung tubig sa bahay po namin kaya baka ma-trap kami, habang maaga pa, inilikas ko na po ito pong apo ko para mas safe po kami,” Samson said.

She added that they moved their belongings to higher parts of the house to keep them safe from the floodwaters.

“Sobrang hirap po sa pagbubuhat ng mga gamit, ganon akyat-baba para hindi lang po mabasa,” Samson added.

(The water entered our house, so we were afraid of getting trapped. While it was still early, I evacuated my grandchild for safety. It was extremely difficult carrying our things up and down just to keep them dry.)

Another evacuee, Dayang Lumio, evacuated along with her four children as a safety precaution.

“Ayaw po naming maranasan ‘yung nangyari sa amin last year po, lagpas-tao po ‘yung baha kaya inilikas namin ang anak namin, mga bata at saka mga gamit na importante,” Lumio shared.

(We didn't want to go through what happened to us last year when the floodwaters rose above head height. That’s why we evacuated our children and important belongings early.)

According to Agustin’s report, as of 11 p.m. on Monday, the first floor of homes in Sitio 1 remained submerged. A total of 80 houses were affected by floodwaters that reached up to 5 feet.

By Tuesday morning, the floodwaters had receded, allowing some residents to return home and clean up.

“Hanggang dibdib po rito kagabi sa loob tapos ‘yung mga gamit namin nabasa, inanod ‘yung iba. Mga ilang pirasong damit lang ang nailigtas namin mabilis kasi ‘yung tubig kagabi,” resident Ivy Sta. Ana recalled.

(The water inside reached chest height last night. Our things got soaked, and some were swept away. We were only able to save a few pieces of clothing because the water rose so quickly.)

“Sobrang hirap po kasi halos taon-taon po talaga namin nararanasan yung pagbaha,” she added.

(It's so difficult because we go through this flooding almost every year.) — Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/BM, GMA News