Thousands of families evacuated amid massive flooding

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Thousands of families in Metro Manila and nearby provinces were evacuated to higher places due to flooding triggered by heavy rains, authorities said today.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), heavy rains were spawned by tropical storm Fung-Wong (local name Mario), which was moving toward northern Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometer per hour and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

Red rainfall warning, which means that severe flooding is expected, was raised in Metro Manila and the provinces of Laguna and Rizal, PAGASA said .

Upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. also announced the suspension of classes in all levels, public and private, in Metro Manila and 16 other nearby provinces in northern Philippines, as rain was predicted to prevail until afternoon.

Work in government offices has been suspended also, except for those agencies whose work involves the delivery of basic and health services, disaster response and other vital public services, Ochoa said.

For the private sector, the discretion to suspend work lies with the individual companies and employers, he said.

He urged employers to consider the circumstances of their employees brought about by the effects of the tropical storm.

NDRRMC executive director Alexander Pama, in a television interview, said that evacuation of residents were being implemented in Marikina City as water level in a river there continued to rise.

Relocation of some 3,000 to 4,000 individuals were also done in Manila City, the local government said.   Some domestic flights were suspended, while other international flights were diverted to airports outside Metro Manila.