Floodwaters exceeding four meters inundated thousands of homes in the storm-ravaged northern Philippines on Tuesday, following heavy rains and a dam release that caused rivers to overflow. Super Typhoon Man-yi drenched large areas of the Philippines over the weekend, causing the Cagayan River and its tributaries to swell and forcing the release of water from Magat Dam. The Cagayan River burst its banks, flooding already saturated farmlands and communities and affecting tens of thousands of people.

Buildings, lamp posts, and trees emerged from a sea of brown water in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan Province, where provincial disaster official Ian Valdepenas reported floodwaters reaching over four meters in some areas. 'We experienced very heavy rains two days ago, but the flood only started to rise when Magat Dam began releasing large volumes of water,' Valdepenas told AFP. 'Additionally, our land is already saturated due to consecutive typhoons hitting the area.'

Man-yi was the sixth major storm in a month to strike the Philippines, resulting in at least 171 deaths, thousands of displaced individuals, and significant crop and livestock losses. Approximately 20 major storms and typhoons impact the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters annually, causing numerous fatalities, but it is uncommon for multiple such events to occur within a short period.

In the neighboring province of Isabela, Jun Montereal of the Ilagan City disaster preparedness committee reported that 30,000 people were still affected by flooding, though the situation was gradually improving. 'The flood is subsiding slowly because the land is already saturated, but we have passed the worst,' Montereal told AFP. 'We hope the weather remains fair so the water can recede. I believe it will completely subside in three days.'

Carlo Ablan, overseeing operations at Magat Dam, stated that three gates were open as of Tuesday morning to release water from the dam. 'If the weather continues to be good, we expect to have only one gate open this afternoon,' Ablan said. Ablan noted that flooding in Tuguegarao City was not solely due to Magat Dam; other tributaries of the Cagayan River were also likely contributing.

Valdepenas mentioned that authorities in Tuguegarao were waiting for floodwaters to further subside before allowing people to return to their homes. 'This might start subsiding within today,' he said. Over a million people evacuated their homes ahead of Man-yi, which struck the Philippines as a super typhoon before weakening as it moved over the mountains of Luzon. Man-yi brought heavy rain, damaged fragile buildings, disrupted power, and claimed at least eight lives. Climate change is intensifying storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods, and stronger gusts.

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