MANILA, Philippines – Heavy rain due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) has caused widespread flooding in parts of the Philippines’ capital region and nearby provinces on Wednesday, July 24.

The developing situation has brought back memories of Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) in September 2009, one of the worst floods to hit Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon with 464 people killed and over 500 injured.

Online users have compared flooding in their areas to what they experienced during Ondoy.

Meteorologist BA Racoma said that compared to Ondoy’s 455 millimeters (mm) of total rainfall over a 24-hour period, the enhanced southwest monsoon intensified by Carina brought 217 mm of rainfall within the same period.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) sent SMS alerts in the middle of the night of orange and red rainfall warnings for Metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon due to heavy rainfall and telling citizens to be prepared for floods and landslides.

The situation was particularly worrisome in Marikina City, east of Manila. As of 10:40 am, water level in Marikina River rose to 18.4 meters. It earlier triggered the highest alarm (3rd) when it reached 18 meters prompting forced evacuation, and the level was still rising as of posting.

In a radio DZBB interview on Wednesday, Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said he had not seen this situation since Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) in November 2020. He said around 10,000 people were already in evacuation centers of the city as of 10 am.

“Iba na ang new normal and rainfall count natin ngayon (It’s now a new normal as well as rainfall count),” he said. Tropical Storm Ondoy dumped around 445 millimeters of rainfall while Typhoon Ulysses recorded 150 millimeters.

Teodoro said the rising flood was again happening despite the dredging that has been done in Marikina River.

Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City currently houses most number of evacuees so far.

“‘Yung pag-iingat ay napakahalaga,” he said. “Miski wala pang mataas na mataas na tubig sa ating lugar, mabuting mag preemptive evacuation na tayo.”

(It’s important to keep safe. Even though the water in our area is not that high yet, it’s better to do preemptive evacuation now.)

In flood-prone Malabon City, north of the capital, almost all barangays are already inundated, according to Mayor Jeanie Sandoval.

“Lahat halos ng barangay dito lubog na rin po,” Sandoval said in a separate radio interview. “Nagsasagawa na po kami ng rescue operations, naka-ready na po ang evacuation centers.”

(Almost all villages here are flooded. We’re already undertaking rescue operations, evacuation centers are ready.)

As of 9:35 am, floods reached knee-deep level in parts of España Avenue, Taft Avenue in the city of Manila, according to a report from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

In the same report, MMDA said the flood in parts of Marcos Highway in Marikina City reached gutter-deep level, and it was waist-to-chest level in some areas in Quezon City.