The Marikina River remained at a normal level early Monday morning despite a heavy rainfall warning over Metro Manila due to Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong).
As of 12:30 a.m., the Marikina Public Information Office said in a Facebook advisory that the river’s level was at 14.2 meters. The first alarm is raised once the river reaches 15 meters.
Authorities may enforce a forced evacuation only when the water level hits the third alarm or 18 meters.
Metro Manila remains under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 due to Uwan, meaning the region may experience storm-force winds within 18 hours.
The capital region is also under an orange rainfall warning, with 100 to 200 millimeters of rain expected, indicating possible flooding.
As of 11 p.m., Uwan’s center was last spotted in the vicinity of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 230 kph. The Marikina River has long been on the watch list of waterways prone to overflowing.
A water level of 21.5 meters-the highest ever recorded-was reached during Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, according to Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.
Marikina bore the brunt of Ondoy, which claimed more than 700 lives in Metro Manila and nearby regions on September 26, 2009.