By Chito A. Chavez and Hans Amancio Heavy rains from the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm “Domeng” dumped heavy rains in Metro Manila, submerging various areas in gutter-deep floodwaters Sunday. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said that the flooded areas in Manila include Taft Avenue corner UN Avenue in Ermita, Manila and Padre Burgos St. up to the Manila City Hall which has reached gutter-deep level. The said areas, however, remain passable to all types of vehicles. Meanwhile, areas in Sampaloc, Manila that were submerged in floodwaters included Visayas Avenue and Lacson Street in España Boulevard. Vehicles also struggle to pass through the streets along Bambang Street as floodwater in the area has reached gutter-deep level. The Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMO) has upgraded its alert status from “yellow” to “red” as heavy rains continue to pound Metro Manila. Karl Michael Marasigan, head of the QC DRRMO, led an inspection team that visited several flood-prone areas in the city such as Roxas District, Talayan, Tatalon, Damayang Lagi, and Doña Imelda. Pre-emptive evacuation was ordered for residents of Gumamela Street in Barangay Roxas as floodwaters begin to rise due to heavy rains on Saturday while 15 families were also taken to a temporary shelter in Barangay Masambong. QC DRRMO teams trained in water search and rescue (WASAR) and equipped with rescue boats were also pre-positioned in flood-prone communities. “The barangay officials and the Barangay DRRM Committees have contingency plans in place. They know what to do and we’re also ready to assist should the need arises,” Marasigan said. The water level in most areas that were flooded on Saturday night has subsided by mid-morning Sunday. Among the areas that were inundated Saturday night to early Sunday were:

• Agno Street, Agno Extension, G. Araneta Ave.-Victoria St., Kaliraya in Barangay Tatalon
• Gumamela St. in Barangay Roxas
• E. Rodriguez Ave.- G. Araneta Ave., Palanas St., Bayani St. in Barangay Doña Imelda
• Don Jose-Retiro, Banaue-Retiro, Calamba-Sto. Domingo, Calamba-Don Jose, Ma. Clara cor. G. Araneta, Retiro cor. G. Araneta, Calamba corner Sto. Domingo in Barangay Sto. Domingo
• Banaue corner Quezon Avenue in Barangay St. Peter
• Mayon cor. Dapitan in Barangay Sta. Teresita
• Scout Lacaras corner D. Tuazon in Barangay Maharlika
• Scout Tuazon, Scout Borromeo, Mother Ignacia, Panay Avenue and Scout Albano in Barangay South Triangle
• Batino St. in Barangay Amihan
• Mindanao St. in Barangay Quirino 3-B
• Zambales St. in Barangay San Martin de Porres
• 15th Ave.-Monterey St. in Barangay San Roque
• 15th Ave, N. Domingo-Broadway in Barangay Socorro
• Water Lily-P. Tuazon and Kalantiaw corner Rajah Matanda in Barangay Masagana

In case of emergencies or need for assistance, the Quezon City Emergency Operations Center can be reached by dialing hotline 122 or by calling the QC DRRMO monitoring center at 927-5914. Tropical storm “Domeng,” known internationally as “Maliksi,” has reportedly left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Sunday morning, PAGASA said.