Where To Find Important Marikina City Weather and Flood Updates

Now that the rainy season has begun, expect weather disturbances in Metro Manila including Marikina City for the next few months. Be updated with weather and water level status in Marikina by following and checking with these useful online sources:

Marikina City Rescue 161

https://www.facebook.com/MarikinaRescue161

This is the official Facebook page of Marikina City Rescue 161 located at Marikina City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office building, Fortune avenue, Marikina City.
Aside from posting periodic and critical weather updates from www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph, they also provide Marikina Rainfall Reading status updates.

Also during heavy rains or when water levels at Marikina River rise above the average level, a livestream showing the Marikina River water level. This is handy especially for residents and families who live near the Marikina River areas, or are directly affected by rising water levels.

Sample video streamed live by Marikina City Rescue 161

Save these handy numbers in case of emergencies:

MARIKINA RESCUE 161 HOTLINE
8- 646 2436 to 38
8- 646 0427
7- 273 6563

Mobile Number
0917 - 584 - 2168 ( GLOBE )
0917 - 804 - 6352 ( GLOBE )
0928 - 559 - 3341 ( SMART )
0998 - 997 - 0115 ( SMART )
0998 - 579 - 6435 ( SMART )

Email : drrmo.marikinacity@gmail.com
Facebook Messenger : Reskyu Onesixone
Facebook Account : Marikina City Rescue

Marikina PIO on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/MarikinaPIO

This is the official Facebook page for the Marikina Public Information Office. They serve as an outlet for the Marikina City government to disseminate information. Aside from posting public service announcements and updates from different government sectors related to Marikina City, they share useful updates from different sources, like Marikina River livestreams from Marikina City Rescue 161 during above-average rainfall affecting the city.

Sample status update includes rainfall count and Marikina River water level

Flood Information (PAGASA Website)

https://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/flood

This page lists 18 major Philippine river basins, including NCR/Pasig, Marikina, and Laguna de Bay. Click on the "Flood Watch" status link to see the latest flood bulletin report. The report includes details like the current weather condition, average rainfall in the basin, a 12-hour forecast, the most likely affected water courses, and a list of awareness, information, and advice for reference. These details are useful to gauge how the flood situation will be in the next 12 hours and what action to take, such as being alert for flash floods. 

Share this post with friends and family who live in Marikina City for awareness and empower affected people with timely updates for residents.

Remembering Typhoon Ondoy 7 Years Ago

Last September 26 was the 7th anniversary since Typhoon Ondoy struck the Philippines.  For Marikina City, it became one of the horrific typhoons because of the non-stop heavy rains it brought causing severe flooding in most parts of the city.

I remember clearly it was a Saturday morning and raining.  Being from Marikina, you usually are alert to monitor the rains especially if it's non-stop due to floods.   When we saw the first sign of flooding at the street level, we weren't very alarmed since it takes time before the waters would rise from street to sidewalk and if ever, inside the gate and in our experience, water usually subsides even before it would reach at an alarming level.  Living in Marikina, we've experienced floods from time to time and know the drill.  The highest floods in the past years prior to Ondoy measured only up to around 3 feet high inside the house.  This was also one of the reasons why we had a 2nd floor built.

So it was a real surprise that even though the rains lessened in downpour, the water was still rising.  And in less than an hour, flood water started entering the house flowing as fast as a fountain. All of a sudden, everything became a priority.  We had to figure out where to put our 3 dogs who were stranded on top of a table.  We had 2 cars that were slowly being submerged till rooftop.  We had a huge refrigerator that suddenly became afloat and looked like a boat floating from kitchen to dining room and we had to avoid from being hit by it cause it was heavy and filled with food.   We had to cut off electricity cause the wall electricity outlets were just about to get submerged in flood.  We had to save food from getting wet and spoiled.  And we had to all move upstairs for our safety.  We had to do a lot of things but couldn't because of the swift speed the water level was rising to.

If this wasn't bad enough for us, we knew that this was the same scenario for all of our neighbors who were experiencing the exact same situation feeling the effects which Typhoon Ondoy brought.  So nobody could help anybody else.

The flood water reached up to an all time high of over 5 feet inside the entire first floor of our house, and even deeper outside.  The sheer volume of flood water inside the house practically made the doors almost impossible to open or close.  A lot of our belongings were soaked.   We all stayed upstairs only equipped with a radio as our source of what's happening elsewhere.  We heard that Marikina River transformed into a Raging River and which overflowed and spread to the riverbanks including Provident Villages, which we heard experienced up to 10 - 20 feet of flood water in the entire village.

 An array of emotions spun around us but by this time, we were basically physically and emotionally drained. We prayed for our safety and for the safety of our other family and friends who may have been affected by Typhoon Ondoy.

It took hours before the floodwaters finally subsided and what was left was devastation and destruction of property everywhere.  The next day, all the neighbors were cleaning their respective houses.  It wasn't easy to clean an entire house with mud, debris and trash.

The long term aftereffects of Ondoy?  We didn't have electricity for 1 month.  We had to rely on donations for food not because we couldn't afford to buy, but because there was almost no store in Marikina that survived so there wasn't anything to buy.  And the nearest grocery stores experienced hoarding and panic buying cause people needed to replenish damaged food and prepare since it wasn't the end of the typhoon season yet.  Any sign of continuous rain thereafter was always a sign of concern and alarm for us and for Marikenos.

It took a while before we eventually recovered and got back to normal. But the memory of Typhoon Ondoy affecting Marikina City will never be forgotten.

Lilac Food Fest 2015 Amidst the Typhoon

Despite rainy weather caused by Typhoon Lando, the 2015 Lilac Foodfest proved to be a successful one last October 17, 2015 with people dropping by to sample different cuisines and types of food offered.

Similar to popular Food street destinations such as Maginhawa in Quezon City and Kapitolyo in Pasig City, Lilac Street in SSS Village, Marikina City is slowly becoming another food street with various non-food chain restaurants and cafes each worth visiting and checking out.

Online Resources for Marikenos on Typhoon Mario

With Typhoon Mario's amount of rainfall hugely affecting Marikina City, Mayor Del De Guzman declares the city in a state of calamity. Residents in surrounding areas of Marikina River were issued a force evacuation as standard protocol once Marikina River reaches critical level.  As of 5pm today, Adrian Ayalin reports current river level at 19.8 meters, which is above the 17 meter critical level.

Marikina river at 19.8 meters as of 5PM. pic.twitter.com/hXR8d9mdMn  — Adrian Ayalin (@adrianayalin) September 19, 2014

The sudden flash floods experienced prompted some Marikenos to compare Typhoon Mario with 2009 Typhoon Ondoy.  PAGASA recorded 268 mm of rainfall in the past 12 hours as compared to Typhoon Ondoy's 455 mm in a 24 hour time frame and notes that their forecast shows that Typhoon Mario will not likely achieve the same amount.

To assist Marikenos, here are some online resources available:

• Crisis Map of Evacuation centers where families have been relocated due to TS Mario
• Marikina River Water Level Updates
• Project NOAH
• PAG-ASA Website
• Marikina Public Information Office Twitter Updates
• Marikina Public Information Office Facebook page
• #RescuePH - rowdsourced disaster response initiative to help coordinate disaster response and relief operations

 Evacuation centers where families have been relocated due to TS Mario.

(Resource: DSWD/PCDSPO)

Other city announcements:

• Mayor Del announces the suspension of classes in all levels for Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 in Marikina.

Flood Alert Level Guide & Online Resources for Monitoring Marikina River & Floods

Marikina City has a four-stage alarm level system for the Marikina River:

• Alarm Level 1, when the water is 15 meters above sea level, means "warning" (babala)
• Alarm Level 2, when the water is 16 meters above sea level, means "prepare" (maghanda)
• Alarm Level 3, when the water is 17 meters above sea level, means "evacuate" (lumikas)

Stock Photo - Marikina River

These alarm levels are based on the depth of water in Marikina River (Sto. Nino). Malanday, Nangka and Tumana are considered critical areas.





Also follow these Twitter accounts for Marikina updates.

Marikina Public Information Office
PIO Marikina ‏@MarikinaPIO
https://twitter.com/MarikinaPIO

Official Twitter Account of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA-DOST)

PAGASA-DOST @dost_pagasa
https://twitter.com/dost_pagasa

Marikina Local Government Unit
Marikina LGU ‏@MarikinaLGU
https://twitter.com/MarikinaLGU

Rescue PH
RescuePH ‏ @RescuePH

https://twitter.com/RescuePH

We coordinate with rescue units in the Philippines. Please use the hashtag#RescuePH

For regular updates on the Marikina water level, access 

http://syncsysph.com/councilmarikinagovph/data/riverlevel.html

for important information about Marikina River Water Level including rainfall in Antipolo, Montalban and other watersheds and Typhoon updates.
UPDATE: As of July 2015, the link above does not work anymore.
Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards)

http://noah.dost.gov.ph/
Project NOAH is the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) response to the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III for a more accurate, integrated, and responsive disaster prevention and mitigation system, especially in high-risk areas throughout the Philippines.

Project NOAH is also available as a mobile application on the Android platform.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ph.gov.dost.noah.android&hl=en

Marikina City Prepares for Typhoon Megi/Juan

Typhoon Megi (local code name:Juan) is so far the strongest storm to hit the Philippines year.  It is also currently being recorded as the 4th strongest typhoon to hit the planet.

Signal No. 4 has been hoisted in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela, with maximum winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour (140 mph) and gustiness of as much as 260 kilometers per hour.

As early as now, city government is planning to move their command center to higher ground.  They are also preparing additional boats and improvised floaters for rescue operations if the need arises.

Marikina Sports Center Now Open

After almost 2 months of being closed to the public, Marikina Sports Center now reopens today, Monday, November 16, 2009. Marikina Sports Center was heavily flooded during Typhoon Ondoy which brought inches of mud to the sports grounds after the floods subsided.

During cleanup, the sports center was also used as a relief center for typhoon victims. The newly erected Sports Building was also used as storage for relief goods for Marikina typhoon victims.

The Sports Center resumes regular operations of 5:00am till 11:00pm daily. Entrance fee is P10. for children and adults. Senior citizens can enter for free.

Sumulong Highway Serves As Temporary Garbage Site

Marikina City has suffered much from the floods brought by Typhoon Ondoy.

The floods have subsided in most of the affected areas. However, sanitation has proven to be one of the problems the typhoon has left.

Mud is prominent everywhere and garbage is at an all-time high. Due to the enormous amount of trash, the fields alongside Sumulong Highway has served as a temporary dumpsite until the garbage trucks can pick them up.

The heaps of garbage though causes a foul stench within the surrounding areas. Scavengers are also searching the garbage mounds for anything of worth they can salvage.

Google Responds To Typhoon Ondoy Calamity

Here is a message from Google:

We are very saddened by the loss of life and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Metro Manila and nearby areas caused by Typhoon Ondoy. To increase awareness of how Filipinos at home and overseas can stay up to date and aid in relief efforts, dozens of Google volunteers around the world have been working throughout the weekend and today to compile information about the disaster on this site: www.google.com.ph/landing/typhoon-ondoy.html.

The site contains a volunteer-maintained map of flood updates and persons needing rescue, the latest news from local media sources, a list of verified donation sites and emergency hotlines. It is also linked from Google.com.ph to give easy access to the 25 million Internet users in the Philippines and many more around the world.

Our effort is but one of many being organized by countless individuals and organizations across the country in the spirit of bayanihan, to help those affected by this disaster as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.

Thanks

View Ondoy situation map for Metro Manila in a larger map