(PNA file photo)
TUGUEGARAO CITY – Cagayan province was placed under state of calamity on Saturday as massive rescue and relief operations have been intensified.
The floodwater level in many areas in the province remains high due to Typhoon Ulysses.
Governor Manuel Mamba, in a telephone interview, said at least 288 barangays here have remained underwater.
At least 43,838 families or 174,940 individuals were affected and many of them were without food, electricity, and clean water, Mamba added.
The province has prepared for the typhoon and even initiated preemptive evacuation, he said.
However, "the enormous volume" of water was not expected, he added.
Adding to the woes on water from watersheds and releases from Magat Dam, the "big problem was the denudation of our forests and the heavy siltation of our river beds," Mamba said. (PNA)
