The third typhoon to hit the storm-battered country in as many weeks caused catastrophic flooding in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces on Thursday, leaving millions without power, trapping people on rooftops and claiming at least 13 lives.
Typhoon Ulysses, which packed winds of up to 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph, swept across the country’s largest island of Luzon.
In Camarines Norte, at least two individuals were killed in Daet and Talisay as the typhoon battered the Bicol region, leaving four others missing and eight injured, the Office of the Civil Defense said.
While Ulyssses was weaker than Super Typhoon Rolly, more regions reported widespread flooding amid heavy rainfall dumped on rivers and dams still swollen by earlier storms.
State weather bureau PAGASA said major dams in Luzon released water due to the torrential rains, including Bulacan’s Angat Dam, Isabela’s Magat Dam, Benguet’s Binga Dam and Ambuklao Dam.
Some 3.8 million households lost power Thursday morning as the typhoon downed electric poles and wires while ripping through Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
The Manila Electric Co. said its repair crews would attend to troubled areas as soon as the weather allowed. An update at noon said the number of affected customers was down to 1.9 million.
“Our line personnel have been dispatched and continue to assess the damage to our facilities. We are slowly restoring electricity service in these areas, particularly in areas with no impending hazards like flooding,” said Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga.
For its part, west zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. announced water interruptions in some of its areas due to an increased turbidity level of raw water from Bulacan’s Ipo Dam.
This would enable the water company to remove increased sediments from the raw water during treatment before releasing potable water to the distribution system.
The Philippine Coast Guard declared a No Sail Policy in 24 provinces for all types of vessels, with 40 ports suspending operations.
The EDSA Busway operations and railway operations of MRT-3, LRT-1, LRT-2 and the Philippine National Railway were likewise suspended Thursday.
In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said the typhoon has slightly weakened as it continued to move westward over the West Philippine Sea.
Ulysses may exit the Philippine area of responsibility Friday morning.
Meanwhile, OCD Assistant Secretary Casiano Monilla insisted the government was not caught “flat-footed” when it came to Typhoon Ulysses, blaming instead residents who refused to evacuate when they were asked to do so.
“We were not actually caught flat-footed. It’s just that when our officials made their rounds, our kababayans did not immediately comply,” Monilla said in a press briefing.
He said the government has exerted all efforts to disseminate warnings on the impact of Typhoon Ulysses ahead of its onslaught but some people opted to disregard these.
“They rely on their gut feeling or the prevailing situation rather than the advice given by the PAGASA,” Monilla added. With AFP