By Fernan Angeles
CAGAYAN had just been placed under a state of calamity as the entire province has been render literally under water by the intense downpour of typhoon Ulysses.
In a post uploaded by the Cagayan Provincial Information Office in its Facebook page, the provincial board cited the urgent need to declare the entire province under such category even as they claimed that Cagayan suffered the worst flooding in years.
“Sa Special Session ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan ngayong araw ng Sabado, Nobyembre 14, idineklarang nasa ilalim na State of Calamity dahil sa nararanasang pinakamalaki at pinakamalawak na baha sa kasaysayan ng probinsiya,” it said.
Earlier that day, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said 24 of the province’s 28 towns and 1 city remains under water, even as he claimed that at least nine people have perished.
According to Mamba, they have promptly issued a warning to their people, but floods “worse than we prepared for.”
But even before the provincial board made the declaration, Tuguegarao City Council has already approved the declaration of a state of calamity following massive flooding that inundated the city.
“Nag-meet na po ang city council. Katabi ko si vice mayor ano at tsaka opisyales namin. After po mag-meet ng council namin recommending for the declaration of state of calamity in Tuguegarao, na-approve na po ng council namin and ready to go na po kami,” Mayor Jefferson Soriano said in a Laging Handa briefing.
Mayor Soriano said 39 barangays in Tuguegarao City were “under water” after Cagayan province and the whole Cagayan Valley region were submerged in deep floods caused by rainfall from Typhoon Ulysses and the northeastern monsoon.
At least 2,500 residents are in evacuation centers in Tuguegaro.