Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said a lot of areas in the province are still submerged in flood due to Typhoon Ulysses.

Mamba said that a lot of roads are still not passable, a reason that some areas remain isolated and delivering relief to residents remains a big challenge.

“Talagang dinadala namin by helicopter na. Kumuha kami ng maraming air assets po. Nagpapatulong kami sa AFP, sa PNP. So lahat po ng relief operations namin in so many isolated areas is by air,” Mamba told GMA News in an interview.

“Makikita niyo naman sa video na ‘yung mga tao, makikita mo talaga na hinahabol nila ang mga helicopter. Hindi rin makababa ang mga helicopter in most of the places,” he added.

For now, the local and national government are extending aid to residents that can be reached immediately by authorities.

“The fact na napakalawak na ng Cagayan River at nag-swell pa ng husto beyond ‘yung banks niya kaya parang ocean na. Makikita niyo ‘yung tubig ay from one mountain range to the other, tubig lahat ‘yan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mamba told other local media report that they have prepared for floods and disasters, but they were taken aback by the magnitude of the floodwater coming from different areas.

He is appealing to the national government to dredge the Cagayan river and go after illegal loggers to prevent the similar incident from happening again.