MARIKINA CITY – Dead City.

This was how residents described the country’s acknowledged shoe capital after they were inundated by floodwaters spawned by tropical storm “Ondoy”, with many areas in the city without electricity as of yesterday afternoon.

Residents were mostly clad in muddied clothes as they begin returning to their houses to start cleaning up the mess left behind by Saturday’s flooding, while many others have yet to return to their homes as the flood waters remain. Evacuees remain in many public schools that have been turned into evacuation centers.

The Marikina City Hall and the Marikina City Police Station were also covered with mud that was left behind by receding flood waters.

The water level Saturday reached waist level in many areas.

In other areas in eastern Metro Manila like Mandaluyong City and San Juan, residents also began returning to their homes, but many places in Pasig City remain under water.

In Rodriguez, Rizal, the chief of police had to be rescued by his own men when he was accidentally carried away by strong currents at the height of Saturday’s heavy downpour.

Supt. Felipe Abigan Jr. earlier joined his men in rescuing residents of Dela Costa Subdivision in Barangay San Jose after the Wawa River in the town overflowed.

Most Rodriguez residents stayed in rooftops after flood waters reached the second floor of most houses, prompting local policemen to launch rescue missions.

"May lubid kaming hinahawakan, kasi nga inaabot namin yung mga taong nagsisipagtawiran, e yung ibang mga malapit sa ilog e iyon ang inuuna namin na mailikas papunta sa mababaw.

Yung kinapupuwestuhan namin e malakas ang current kaya nung may aabutin ako e hindi ko na nakayanan yung lakas ng agos at natangay ako,” Abigan told the Manila Bulletin.

“Maige na lang may dumamba sa akin at kapit-kapit kamay na yung mga tauhan ko kaya nahatak uli ako. Yun ngang dalawang cellphone ko na nakabalot sa plastic e natangay na rin ng agos ng tubig kaya wala akong communication ngayon," he added.

Abigan said they saw the body of an unidentified man floating while they were conducting rescue operations. Residents said the man was also rendering assistance to flood victims when he slipped and hit a hard object before being carried by strong currents.

In Kasiglahan Village, seven children were reported missing while a one year old boy was also carried away by strong currents.

Hundred of residents in Eastwood Subdivision and the nearby barangay of San Isidro also had no electricity until yesterday afternoon.