Zero casualty in Quezon City for Typhoon Karding  

MANILA, Philippines — No casualties were recorded in Quezon City at the height of Super Typhoon Karding on Sunday due to the early implementation of pre-emptive evacuation of over 9,000 residents in high-risk areas.

“Thank you Qcitizens! Because of your cooperation, our city achieved zero casualty,” the local government said in a statement yesterday.

A total of 9,371 people were evacuated to safer ground over the weekend in preparation for the super typhoon.

“The evacuees were given food packs, hot meals and comfortable sleeping tents,” city hall said.

The local government set up 82 evacuation sites prior to the implementation of the forced and preemptive evacuation to ensure the safety of residents.

The evacuees have started returning to their homes after being given clearance by the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and 2nd District action officer Bong Teodoro, together with Barangay Bagong Silangan chairman Willy Cara, inspected yesterday the construction of a five-story evacuation center in the village.

“This will serve as a permanent evacuation site for families to be affected by typhoons and other calamities,” the local government said.

The building will have a command center, sleeping quarters, shower rooms, toilets and kitchen, among others.

Marikina River

The Marikina local government sounded the third and final alarm as the Marikina River’s water level hit the critical mark of 18.4 meters before dawn yesterday.

The third alarm means that forced evacuation will be enforced to ensure the safety of residents.

The eight gates of the Manggahan Floodway were opened on Sunday.

The river’s water level went down to 14.9 meters at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday as rains stopped.

Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said at least 5,000 families or 21,000 people in Marikina were brought to evacuation centers on Sunday.

Teodoro asked parishes and churches to open their doors to provide additional space for the evacuees.

“The number of evacuees we had on Sunday night was unprecedented since Ondoy struck 13 years ago,” he said.

Marcelino said about 2,000 people are still in evacuation centers in Marikina.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed military trucks in Marikina as well as rubber boats in Barangays Silangan and Tatalon in Quezon City.

MMDA workers collected around 400 sacks of trash at the Manila Bay dolomite beach yesterday.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 police personnel were deployed in Metro Manila for search, rescue and retrieval operations.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo said they ensured the readiness of rescue equipment and manpower ahead of the declaration of storm warning signals due to Karding.

The NCRPO monitored 152 flooded areas in the metropolis on Sunday. –  Ralph Edwin Villanueva