PAGASA: 'Falcon' unlikely to turn into another 'Ondoy'

Despite having left commuters stranded and inundating parts of the metropolis, tropical storm “Falcon" is unlikely to turn into another "Ondoy," a forecaster with the state weather bureau assured the public late Thursday evening. In a telephone interview with GMA News Online, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather forecaster Joel Jesusa said “Falcon" and the enhanced southwest monsoon has so far dumped 10 to 15 millimeters per hour (mmph) of rain. He said this is but a fraction of the rainfall of tropical storm “Ondoy" in September 2009, when around 55 mmph of rain fell on Metro Manila and nearby areas. In an earlier interview on GMA News’ “24 Oras" newscast, PAGASA acting administrator Dr. Nathaniel Servando said Thursday’s downpour is 30 percent of the rain dumped by "Ondoy" in 2009.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV “Hindi natin ma-i-ko-compare kay 'Ondoy' ito. Unang una, ‘yung 'Ondoy' nag-landfall no’n," Jesusa said. PAGASA, on the other hand, had announced "Falcon" is unlikely to make landfall as it has started slowing down. “Ang nagpapaulan ay hindi bagyo per se, pero ‘yung southwest monsoon," Jesusa added. Some consequences of the downpour, however, resembled those inflicted by “Ondoy." In Marikina — one of the areas that suffered the worst damage from “Ondoy" — a portion of the Marikina River began to overflow due to heavy downpour Thursday. The water level in Marikina River has reached 16 meters — beyond its spilling level of 13.8 meters — as of 11 p.m., said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) duty officer Jonathan Gomez in a telephone interview with GMA News Online. According to a report on GMA News' late-night newscast "Saksi," Marikina residents in critical areas would have to evacuate should the water level reach 17 meters.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Floods in Metro Manila "Falcon" has also flooded parts of the metropolis, including parts of Quezon Avenue and Araneta Avenue due to the overflowing of Talayan Creek, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras." Floods in some areas go as deep as five feet, said MMDA personnel Vincent Lizada in another telephone interview Thursday night with GMA News Online.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Lizada also reported an indefinite number of students being stranded along the University Belt. He said that as of 10 p.m. MMDA has deployed vehicles to rescue stranded commuters. He added that parts of Makati, particularly the Duty Free area, are also submerged in floods due to the overflowing of the Parañaque River and the Osmeña-Buendia roads, where floods have reached waist-deep. Meanwhile, along with the rise in water levels in parts of Metro Manila, expressions of worry and alarm flooded Twitter, turning keywords related to "Falcon" into some of the most popular topics on the social networking site. As of 11:45 p.m, “Marikina River" was the fifth Twitter trending topic in the Philippines while “Araneta Ave" was 10th on the list.

In relation to the heavy downpour, the Department of Education suspended all elementary and high school classes in the National Capital Region this Friday. The Commission on Higher Education, which handles the college level, meanwhile, left the decision to suspend classes up to college and university officials. — With a report by Bea Cupin/VS, GMA News