‘Inday’ to bring more rains over Luzon

Tropical Depression “Inday” is expected to intensify into a storm on Thursday, and will continue to enhance monsoon rains in the northern parts of the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Moving eastward at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, Inday will not likely make landfall in any part of the country, according to weather specialist Ariel Rojas.

But the weather disturbance will continue to induce the southwest monsoon (“habagat”), and bring intermittent moderate to occasional heavy rains over the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Regions, as well as Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan provinces.

Scattered light to moderate with occasional heavy rains are expected over Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and the rest of Central Luzon until Friday, Rojas said.

Under floodwaters

Pagasa also issued gale warnings over the western seaboard of central and southern Luzon because of rough to very rough seas associated with the southwest monsoon, and prohibited sea travel in the area.

In Central Luzon, sustained rains due to the effects of Inday kept 105 villages under floodwaters on Wednesday.

Police reported rescuing 377 families stranded in flooded houses in Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga and Zambales.

The Office of Civil Defense said 60 families were evacuated from the coastal village of San Pablo in Castillejos town in Zambales due to strong waves.

The rains and afternoon high tide also triggered knee-high floods in 17 villages in Meycauayan City and the towns of Marilao, Sta. Maria, Obando, Hagonoy and Bulacan.

Wrath of ‘Henry’

Tropical storm “Henry,” meanwhile, left one dead and forced hundreds of families from their homes in the Southern Tagalog regions.

Police identified the fatality as Antonio Cudiamat Jr., a fisherman from Calatagan town, Batangas province. His body was recovered early Wednesday morning in the sea in Barangay Talisay

The regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) said 120 families sought shelter in evacuation centers in the villages of Burgos and San Jose in Rodriguez town, Rizal province.

Some 270 families (819 individuals) from the villages of Banaba, Malanday, Maly, Sta. Ana, Guinayang, and Ampid 2 also sought shelter in San Mateo town.

State of calamity

In Cavite, Naic town was placed under state of calamity after 12 coastal villages were flooded. The provincial disaster office said 120 families from the villages of Amaya 5, Amaya 7, and Capipiza in Tanza town were evacuated.

Strong rains and winds also damaged a riprap along Marcos Highway in Tanay, Rizal, as well as a portion of the seawall in Tingloy, Batangas, and the seawall in Barangay Mabacong, Batangas City.

In Barangay Tayamaan, Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, 12 families were evacuated, while the regional DRRMC said 357 families were affected in the towns of Magsaysay and Abra de Ilog. —Melvin Gascon, Maricar Cinco, Jeannette I. Andrade, Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Tonette Orejas and Gabriel Cardinoza

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