I hope this finds you well.

In the past couple of weeks, the Philippines had to battle with two extra strong tropical cyclones – first was Super Typhoon Rolly and next was Typhoon Ulysses. The former has ravaged the Bicol region, most severely, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes, while the latter has engulfed the provinces up North, specifically Tuguegarao in Cagayan and the province of Isabela in water that reached a very critical level of 13.3 meters.  Apart from Typhoon Ulysses, the Magat Dam, located between Alfonso Lista of Ifugao and Ramon of Isabela, contributed to the massive rise of water level in Cagayan and Isabela as its operators “rushed to open [the dam] gates only at the height of Ulysses”* How does this dam made such a huge impact to the nearby areas? Well for one, we must be aware that it is one of the largest dams in the Philippines. According to Wikipedia, the Magat Dam which was built from 1975 up to 1982, was primarily made to irrigate 85,000 hectares of agricultural lands, for flood control, and to supply electricity via the Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant.** As of this writing, November 18, the Cagayan River Basin and the Magat Dam Sub-basin are still under the Flood Watch status of PAGASA based on its Flood Information.***