DFA Extends Sympathies to Those Affected by Flash Floods in Maryland

29 May 2018 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) today extended its sympathies to those affected by flash floods that struck parts of Maryland on Sunday even as it continues to monitor a storm that is making its way up the southeastern coast of the United States.

“Our hearts go out to those who were affected by the floods in Maryland,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said after he was told that a state of emergency has been declared in the state in the wake of severe flooding there.

“We also pray for the safety of everyone in the path of subtropical storm Alberto,” Secretary Cayetano said after it made landfall in Florida.

The DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. is monitoring the situation, particularly in the city of Ellicott, which was severely affected by flashfloods triggered by a rainstorm on Sunday.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Embassy is checking on the condition of the more than 3,000 members of the Filipino Community in Ellicott, which is located in Howard County, about 40 miles north of Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Romualdez also reported that subtropical storm Alberto made landfall on Monday evening just west of Panama City in Florida.

Ambassador Romualdez said a flash flood watch has been raised over the states of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas as the eye of the storm moves northward.

He said the Embassy has issued an advisory and reached out to leaders of the Filipino Community in the affected areas to take extra precaution and heed the warnings of local authorities.

Ambassador Romualdez said the Embassy has so far not received reports of Filipinos affected by the storm. There is an estimated 25,500 members of the Filipino Community in the areas to be impacted by the storm. END