Pampanga under state of calamity

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Provincial Board (PB), in a special emergency session Tuesday morning, declared Pampanga in a state of calamity due to massive flooding in most barangays and towns, including two cities in the province.

The PB passed Resolution No. 2703, “A Resolution Declaring the Province of Pampanga Under a State of Calamity,” enabling the province, through Governor Lilia Pineda, to utilize five percent of the calamity fund of the province for the needs of those affected by the incident.

As of Monday, 119 barangays in at least 10 municipalities in the province were affected by floodwaters, according to the report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC). But local disaster officials expect a rise in the statistics as reports on Tuesday from different local government units have yet to be accounted for.

The PDRRMC said that flooding has been reported in Sto. Tomas, Lubao, Masantol, Guagua, Bacolor, Minalin, Macabebe, Apalit, Candaba and San Simon towns.

Flooding in San Simon has affected Barangays Dela Paz, San Juan, Sto. Niño and San Agustin with waters reaching between one and three feet. It has affected some 195 families or 667 individuals.

Pineda said she has ordered the PDRRMC to be in full alert and coordinate with local government units.

The governor assured the province is ready to respond to the needs of affected families with the help of the respective mayors of the towns.

On Tuesday, the governor led Capitol officials and the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) in monitoring the situation in the province.

Fourth district Board Member Nestor Tolentino said that continuous sand bagging operations have been along the protective dike between the City of San Fernando and Sto. Tomas town. Tolentino said the capital city and major business establishments here were not spared from flood water.

Flooding in Candaba’s Barangay San Agustin was recorded between three and four feet with classes at the local elementary school suspended last Monday.

Meanwhile, a total of 620 families have been affected by flooding in Barangays Capalangan, San Vicente, Sitio Batasan (Colgante) and Sucad in Apalit town.

Some 3,488 families were also affected by 2 to 2.5 feet of floodwater in 25 barangays of Macabebe town, while 7,889 more families have also been affected in 15 barangays of Minalin.

In Masantol town, some 140 families in Barangay Bebe Anac and another 14 families from Barangay Bebe Matua have been moved to evacuation centers. The families were either housed at the Bebe Anac Elemenatry School, barangay hall, daycare centers and senior citizen buildings here.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) reported that some P19,470,000 worth of rice crops were either damaged or destroyed in Mabalacat, Magalang, Bacolor, City of San Fernando, Lubao, San Luis and Candaba.

Damage to high-value crops was also estimated at P7,242,556. Damage to the fisheries sector in the coastal town of Sasmuan was also estimated at P22,500, according to the town’s Municipal Agriculture Office.

In San Simon, the OPA said 245 hectares of mature palay is now under floodwater.

A 30-meter portion of the Sapang Maragul Dike in Guagua town collapsed along with the walling of the Lambac Elementary School due to an eroded bank at the back of the school. The Barangay Bancal road network, also in same town, is currently not passable to light vehicles due to high tide and floodwater.

In Macabebe town, the road located at Barangay San Gabriel is currently passable only to heavy vehicles as of Tuesday. The Tacasan-Saplad David road, also in Macabebe town, is not passable to all types of vehicles.

There were also reported damages to barangay roads in Balantacan, Baruya, and San Pablo 1 in Lubao town. Sandbagging operations are also being conducted in a breached creek in Barangay Dela Paz in San Simon town.

PDRRMC unit head Lulu Alingcastre said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Unit is now operating 24 hours and is monitoring flooding and road conditions in various towns and cities of the province.