Metro Manila placed under state of calamity

MANILA, Philippines — Relentless rain drenched much of Luzon yesterday, triggering floods in Metro Manila and landslides in mountainous northern regions as Typhoon Carina intensified the seasonal southwest monsoon.

A state of calamity was declared for Metro Manila, unlocking funds for relief efforts, after the state weather forecaster warned of “serious flooding” in some areas.

In the densely populated capital, rescuers were deployed across the city to help evacuate people from low-lying homes after downpours turned streets into rivers, trapping vehicles.

People clutched flimsy umbrellas as they waded through murky water three feet deep or used small boats and shopping trolleys to move around.

“The disturbance it caused is great. The waters reached the second floor of our house,” Nora Clet, a homemaker, told AFP.

Restaurant employee Rex Morano said he wasn’t able to work due to the “very high” floodwaters.

Government offices were shut and classes suspended, at least 80 domestic and international flights were canceled and hundreds of thousands of customers lost power because of the weather.

Some shopping malls offered temporary shelter to people affected.

“Many areas are flooded so we have rescuers deployed all over the city. There is an overwhelming number of people asking for help,” Peachy de Leon, a disaster official in Metro Manila, told AFP.

“We were told last night the rain will not hit us, then the rain suddenly poured so we were quite shocked. There is an ongoing search and rescue now.”

Typhoon Carina, which has swept past the Philippines as it heads towards Taiwan, intensified the southwest monsoon rains typical for this time of year, the state weather forecaster said.

“Usually the peak of rainy season is July and August and it so happens that there is a typhoon in the eastern waters of the Philippines that enhances the southwest monsoon,” senior weather specialist Glaiza Escullar told AFP.

More than 200 millimeters (nearly eight inches) of rain fell in the capital in the past 24 hours, Escullar said, which was “not unusual.”

More heavy rain was expected on Thursday.

Landslides killed a pregnant woman and three children in Batangas and blocked three