By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong, known locally as Mario, struck the Philippines’ capital of Manila on Friday, claiming two lives and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) head Alexander Pama said a two-year-old girl drowned in Quezon City, while a total of 104,339 families – or 470,323 individuals – were affected.
The body of a drowned man – who has been identified - was also found in Caloocan City, Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon said in a radio report.
Heavy downpours caused the Marikina river to overflow in Manila's heavily populated eastern districts, with other parts of the sprawling metropolis and northern regions also suffering widespread flooding.
As of Friday afternoon, the Marikina river’s water level stood at 19.9 meters, with the alert level remaining at 4 as the NDRRMC urged all locals - especially those residing near riverbanks - to take precautionary measures.
Its advisory warned residents that heavy rainfall is expected to continue as the storm heads west toward the mountainous northeast in the evening, when another advisory will be issued.
At least 50,000 people have had to flee their homes, according to Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman.
"Affected residents of a barangay in Mandaluyong City use a pedicab to cross a flooded street after heavy rains overnight flooded many parts of Metro Manila," Soliman added.
State weather forecaster Gener Quitlong said that winds with a maximum speed of 65 kilometers (40 miles) an hour had brought heavy downpours, dumping some 268 millimeters (10.5 inches) of rain across Manila overnight - 76 percent of the average rainfall for September.
Education officials announced the closure of schools as government employees not involved in rescue operations and medical emergencies were sent home, with financial markets also stopping operations.
While several roads across Metro Manila have been rendered impassable, many universities also announced the suspension of classes Saturday.
Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman declared a state of calamity in the city due to flooding, as more than 5,000 families - or around 27,000 individuals – have been evacuated from the villages of Malanday, Dela Pena, San Roque and Tumana, where residents sought shelter at the local elementary and high schools.
According to Ernesto Josef, head of Marikina Office Public Safety, rubber boats and rescue trucks were used to rescue trapped residents in Tumana.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has provided 6,000 food packs to affected individuals in Marikina.
A total of 21 domestic flights to and from Manila airport were canceled, while three international flights were diverted to Clark International Airport in northern Pampanga province.
Fung-Wong comes one week after Typhoon Kalmaegi hit the northern Philippines.
The country is visited by some 30 storms a year - many of them deadly. The Southeast Asian archipelago is often the first major landmass to be struck after storms build above the Pacific Ocean's warm waters.
In November last year, Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, bringing storm surges that killed some 7,000 people.
