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29 March 2024

UAE Filipinos dial Manila in desperate flood relief calls

Published
By Joseph George

UAE Filipinos woke up this morning to find terrible news from back home in Manila, the Phillipines.

Thousands of friends and family of Filipinos based here in the UAE face evacuation from Manila and surrounding areas due to flash floods.

Most Filipinos Emirates 24|7 spoke to said they had spent the morning calling up family and friends this morning to enquire about their safety.

Grace Arceo says she was worried the moment she heard the news of the flooding.

“I immediately called home and was told that our house is flooded.

“We are living in one of the low-lying areas. Everyone from the family has moved on to a safer place. But all of them are safe,” she said.

Manila has been completely paralysed with schools and offices closed and life coming to a halt.

Thousands have already fled their homes. But there has been no news of any human causality so far.

A official at the Philippines Consulate in Dubai said they are on standby to assist anyone requiring additional information about flooding in Manila.

“We are monitoring the situation closely. It is too early to talk of relief from here,” said the official.

According to Rizalina Abuel, another Manila resident while most of the city has been affected, families with houses located in higher altitude are safe.

“Those areas are not flooded. For example our house is located a bit higher. I had called home in the morning. I was told that all are fine,” he said.

According to her there must have been thousands of international calls made from all Filipino expats living abroad to their families back home just this morning.

Nerry Toledo, another Dubai resident said even her family lives at a higher altitude.

“Thank god my family members are fine. We live in Manila in Quezon city. It’s the riverside that’s already flooded.

“However, we were affected in the flooding last year.  We are just hoping that the rains will stop and the water levels will recede,” she said.

According to her the government this time should be better prepared to meet the situation following last year’s flooding.

More than 1,300 people  were killed following flash floods that struck the southern Philippines last December.

Cities of cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were devastated as typhoon Washi struck from 16 to 18 December.

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