Philippines Evacuates Thousands as Monsoon Rains Flood Manila, Provinces

A man on a bicycle wades through a flooded street in Manila, Philippines, on July 24, 2021. (Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

MANILA—Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents in the capital, Manila, out of low-lying communities on Saturday as heavy monsoon rains, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded the city and nearby provinces.

The national disaster agency said about 15,000 people, most of them from a flood-prone Manila suburb, had moved into evacuation centres.

“We decided to evacuate early,” said Luzviminda Tayson, 61.

“We don’t want the waters to rise and be caught,” said Tayson, one of about 2,900 evacuees who were reminded to practice physical distancing as they took refuge in a primary school in Marikina city.

Residents have a meal after being evacuated at a school amid heavy rains that caused flooding in some areas in Marikina city, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 24, 2021. (Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

In some parts of the Philippine capital region, an urban sprawl of more than 13 million people, flood waters waters rose waist-high in places and cut off roads to light vehicles.

The public works ministry was busy on Saturday clearing debris and landslides from roads in the provinces, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

“Some houses were flooded up to the roof,” Humerlito Dolor, governor of Oriental Mindoro province south of the capital, told DZMM radio station.