Floodwaters submerged homes and businesses in Manila on Monday (August 10) as the southwest monsoon, locally known as 'Habagat', continued to batter the Philippines’ main island of Luzon.
Residents waded and cycled through waist-deep water while families waited outside flooded homes for waters to recede.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecast more than 200 mm of rain over Benguet on Monday (August 10), with Metro Manila, and nearby provinces expected to receive 50 to 100 mm, raising the risk of further flooding and landslides on already saturated ground.
Among those hardest hit is 51-year-old small store owner Claudio Lilio, whose shop sits near where the two rivers meet. He said the area becomes a catch basin whenever heavy rain falls.
"Whether it's a typhoon or a low pressure area, it floods here because we're close to the San Mateo River and Marikina River. All the water ends up in our area," Lilio said.
The flooding has left Lilio without income for nearly three days. Despite trying to protect his merchandise, he said floodwaters swept away his goods as well as the chairs and tables his family used for meals.
"The impact is huge, especially on my small store where I earn a small income. It's now been several days, going on three days now with nothing," he said. "I already packed up my goods, but they got swept away last night. My store got washed out."
The national disaster agency said about 110,000 families have been affected by the enhanced monsoon rains, which have persisted since August 3 due to their interaction with successive storms.
Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News
