Typhoon Ulysses (2020)
Definition
Typhoon Ulysses, internationally designated Typhoon Vamco (2020), was a typhoon that crossed Luzon on 11–12 November 2020 and triggered the worst flooding in Cagayan Valley in decades while re-inundating Metro Manila’s river communities barely a year after Typhoon Ondoy-era memories had revived. The storm killed around a hundred people nationwide and came on the heels of Super Typhoon Rolly, compounding relief fatigue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Typhoon Vamco |
| Wikidata | Q101437849 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
Also Known As
Typhoon Vamco; Typhoon Vamco 2020; Bagyong Ulysses.
Examples and Analogies
Ulysses functioned as a stacked disaster: arriving only days after Rolly and during pandemic quarantine, it was like a second flood wave entering a house still being pumped out, overwhelming rescue teams, evacuation capacity, and household savings all at once.
Usage Scenarios
The event is analyzed in dam-operation protocols on the Magat and Binga-Ambuklao-San Roque systems, in Marikina flood-control advocacy, in Cagayan Valley rehabilitation planning, and in compound-disaster research combining cyclones with pandemic constraints.
Strategies
Post-Ulysses measures included pre-emptive releases from Magat Dam ahead of inflow peaks, dredging and river-bank works in Cagayan and Marikina, faster alert escalation to forced-evacuation level, and coordination drills linking NIA, NDRRMC, and basin LGUs.
Security and Safety Measures
Rescue by army and coast guard teams deployed ahead of the flood crest, elevated evacuation with health protocols for COVID-19, and upstream-downstream dam advisory chains improved warning lead time for riverside barangays.
Historical Context
Vamco formed east of the Philippines, crossed Polillo and the Quezon coast, passed over Metro Manila and Central Luzon, then emerged into the South China Sea before a second Vietnam track; its rains pooled across the Cagayan basin for days, breaching dikes and flooding Tuguegarao and riverside towns.
Challenges and Controversies
Public anger centered on the timing of Magat Dam gate releases and flood-forecast communication, the chronic under-dredging of rivers and esteros, informal settler exposure along waterways, and why a year after record typhoons Cagayan still lacked adequate dikes and impounding areas.
Related Topic
Marikina