Philippines scrambles to rescue thousands after Typhoon Vamco

MANILA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Philippine coast guard and
disaster agencies scrambled on Saturday to rescue thousands in a
northern province flooded by Typhoon Vamco, the country's
deadliest cyclone this year.
Dozens of towns in Cagayan region north of the capital
Manila remain submerged, affecting thousands of families, some
of whom fled to rooftops to escape two-storey high floods,
officials said.
The coast guard sent teams of rescue personnel, vehicles and
rubber boats to Tuguegarao early on Saturday, and will bring in
more help from nearby provinces, said coast guard commandant
George Ursabia.
Accumulated effects of previous weather disturbances, as
well as water from a dam and higher plains brought high flooding
to Cagayan province, the disaster agency said. The nearby Magat
Dam released water on Friday equivalent to two Olympic-size
pools per second, government data showed.
Cagayan Valley is a region of 1.2 million people comprising
five agricultural provinces. Nearly 14,000 people are staying in
evacuation centres after the floods affected 343,000, the
disaster agency said.
"We believe it would take more than a week before the floods
subside" if there is no further rain, Tuguegarao City Mayor
Jefferson Soriano told DZMM radio station. Access to the city,
home to 163,000 people, was cut due to flooded roads, he said.
Residents took to social media, posting photos and addresses
with pleas for rescue. The hashtag #CagayanNeedsHelp was the top
trending topic on Twitter with 2.03 million tweets.
"We're already on the third day atop our roof. We need
relief goods and clothing because we saved nothing," Ramilo
Lagundi, a resident in Tuguegarao City, told DZBB radio station.
Lagundi said he was staying with hundreds of other neighbours on
rooftops.
Vamco, the 21st cyclone to hit the Philippines this year,
has killed at least 42 people. It tore through the main island
of Luzon late on Wednesday.