1 reported dead, 1 missing in Cagayan due to Maymay —PDRRMO

One person was reported dead and another one missing in Cagayan due to Tropical Depression Maymay, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said Wednesday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Cagayan PDRRMO head Ruelie Rapsing said their office is verifying these reports they received.

“We're verifying isa ring lumabas ng bahay nangisda din daw. This is a reported dead. Na-retrieve yung cadaver kahapon lang ng hapon. But we're still trying to verify kung related ito doon sa ating sama ng panahon,” he said.

(We're verifying a report on a person who also went out to fish. This is a reported dead. The cadaver was retrieved just yesterday afternoon. But we're still trying to verify if this is related to the cyclone.)

The missing person was reported by the chief of police in Santa Ana, according to Rapsing. Despite the gale warning and no sail policy since Tuesday, he said the missing person still went sailing early Tuesday morning.

As of 3 a.m. on Wednesday, a total of 1,270  people or 430 families have been preemptively evacuated in five municipalities, Rapsing said.

He added that 27 barangays were currently affected by Maymay.

Moderate to heavy rains are being experienced in the northwestern and northeastern portion of the province, while light to moderate rains in the southeastern and southwestern portion, Rapsing said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepared over 2,000 family packs in case the local government units (LGUs) in the province run out of supply for affected residents, he added.

Floods, evacuation

According to a report of Darlene Cay on Unang Balita, residents in Calayan, Cagayan had to cross a river with strong current during evacuation.

In Gonzaga town, floods hit some homes in low-lying areas.

Some homes were also flooded in Allacapan town.

According to the Cagayan Public Information Office, the Binobongan-Dalaya Bridge and Bulo-Gagadangan Road were not passable to motorists because of floods.

Power interruptions were also experienced in some barangays.

In Santa Teresita, some farms in four barangays were also flooded.

Some trees fell due to strong winds in Camalaniugan town.

Meanwhile in Ilocos Norte province, strong winds were experienced in Pasuquin town. Some homes in coastal areas were damaged.

As of 4 a.m. Wednesday, Maymay continues to slowly move in the southwest direction over the Philippine Sea.

Maymay was located at 305 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center, gustiness of up to 55 km/h, and central pressure of 1002 hPa.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 is still in effect over the following areas in Luzon:

• Isabela;
• Quirino;
• Nueva Vizcaya;
• Aurora;
• Nueva Ecija; and
• the extreme northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Pollilo Islands.

PAGASA said Maymay is forecast to continue its slow westward movement in the next 12 hours before it would slightly accelerate and move westward towards the eastern coast of Central Luzon.

Classes for Wednesday, October 12, 2022, have been canceled in some areas due to bad weather caused by Maymay.

Some flights for Wednesday, October 12, 2022 were also canceled.

Meanwhile, the Magat Dam in Northern Luzon will open one of its gates in anticipation of expected heavy inflow due to Maymay, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) announced late Tuesday.

In an advisory, the NIA said one of the dam's gates will be opened on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. —KG, GMA News