The residents of Aurora province should brace for possible flooding and landslides due to the rain caused by the easterlies, the weather bureau said Tuesday.
The province’s soil may already be saturated due to previous rainfalls, said Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration hydrologist Rosalie Pagulayan.
“There’s big chance for flooding in Aurora,” she said.
But she said the spilling operations in Ambuklao Dam may not resume anytime soon as it could still accommodate water from the expected light rain.
She said the dam stopped spilling operations midnight Monday.
“If there’s no big weather system that can bring much rain over Ambuklao’s watershed, that dam will not yet open its gate to release excess water again,” Pagulayan said.
She says Aurora’s saturated soil can hardly further absorb water, thus increasing the chance of flooding.
She says such soil is already soft so it can easily dislodge during rainfall, resulting in landslides.
PAGASA reminded people, particularly those living near the mountain slopes in Aurora, to remain alert about possible rain-induced landslides in their areas.
On Tuesday, PAGASA forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms in the province.
“A number of the expected thunderstorms can be severe enough to bring rain that may cause some waterways in Aurora to overflow and flood nearby communities,” Pagulayan said.
The rivers and tributaries at risk for overflowing include Casiguran, Aguang and Lower Umiray, PAGASA said.