‘Mario’ dumps half-month’s rain in 6 hours; shuts schools, offices, trading

This visible image of Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) was taken on Sept. 18 at 05:24 UTC from the VIIRS instrument aboard NOAA-NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite. (Image Credit: NRL/NOAA/NASA)

MANILA – Tropical storm Mario (international name, Fung-Wong), inundated the Philippine capital on Friday with heavy rainfall; shutting down schools, government offices, and financial markets.

Mario dumped upon the city of Manila the equivalent of half a month’s usual rainfall in just six hours.

Government cancelled work and classes in the capital, due to roads rendered impassable by flood waters.

The Philippine Stock Exchange suspended trade, and trading at the electronic foreign exchange platform Philippine Dealing System was also suspended.

Officials ordered the evacuation of 7,000 residents in low-lying areas of Marikina City, east of the capital, as a precautionary measure in the event that flood levels – worsened on account of swelling river waters – would rise to dangerous levels.

“We are now on sweeping operations for those trapped by the floods. The rains were so heavy, so fast, some were not able to evacuate,” De Guzman said in an interview with GMA TV, adding the government was sending amphibious vehicles and rubber boats to help get people out,” Marikina City Mayor, Del De Guzman, said.

Tropical storm Mario packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph (50 mph) and gusts of up to 100 kph (62 mph.)

As of Friday morning, it was lingering approximately 210 km (130 miles) east of Casiguran town in northern Aurora province, and is expected to make landfall at around noon on Friday before moving northwest at 22 kph (13 mph) towards the South China Sea.