CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Floods hit 11 out of 19 municipalities and two cities in the province putting 154 villages under flood water, a report obtained from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said.
This came as Southwest monsoon enhanced by tropical storm “ Gener” brought rains and moderate to strong winds over Luzon for several days now. Typhoon Gener is expected to be at 810 kilometer Northwest of Basco, Batanes (tomorrow) this morning, outside the Philippine area of responsibility.
One to 4 feet Flooding persist in the 11 towns of Pampanga for less than a week now as flood waters overflow from Pampanga River, Abacan River, Guagua River and Candaba swamp.
The PDRRMC reported that an estimated 5,822 families equivalent to 31,287 individuals were affected by typhoon Gener.
The PDRRMC advised residents living in the low lying areas and high tide affected areas adjacent to or along the said waterways and the municipal disaster risk reduction coordinating centers concerned to take precautionary measures against the river flooding.
The PDRRMC identified the affected flooded municipalities as follows: Guagua (30 barangays), Lubao (26), Sasmuan (12), Bacolor (2), Apalit (4), Candaba (2), Macabebe (25), Masantol (26), Minalin (15), San Simon (8) and San Luis (4).
In Candaba, classes for elementary school was suspended in barangay San Agustin, while 10 feet more is remaining in Pampanga River before it will overflow to barangays Mandasig, Pasig, Gulap, Lanang, Pansinao and Bambang.
In Masantol, 79 affected families equivalent to 325 individuals are staying in evacuation sites in Bebe Anac Elementary School, Chapel, senior citizens building, Bebe Matua Chapel, barangay hall and day care center.
In Lubao town, some 50 family-evacuees are still in Barangay Bancal Sinubli Chapel. In Bacolor, one family stays at the evacuation tent in Barangay Mesalipit,
On Irrigated rice
Some 590 farmers from the towns of Magalang, Candaba, San Luis and the City of San Fernando were affected with 1,014.50 hectares. Six hundred sixty-five (665) hectares of which were totally damaged while 349.50 were partially damaged.
On roads and bridges
In Guagua, the road network in barangay Bancal is no longer passable to light vehicles. Motorized and paddled bancas are utilized as form of transportation in the said village. The interior road towards St. Michael College in Sto. Cristo village here is under 8 to 15 inches flood water and unelevated portion is not passable to light vehicles. Damage was seen along Sapang Maragul dike particularly the foot bridge at Lawas (Pritil) measuring about 30 meters in length due to strong current and flood overflow.
In Lubao, roads were damaged in barangays Balantacan, Baruya and San Pablo 1. The farm to market roads eroded in Purok 1 of Dela Paz and San Jose Gumi particularly in Purok Mabuhay. (Joel P. Mapiles, PIO Pampanga)
