Monsoon rains leave 7 dead, huge farm damage in C. Luzon

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The last week’s heavy monsoon rains caused Central Luzon rivers to overflow their banks, drowning seven people, disaster relief officials said.

Three of the fatalities were from Bulacan, while the rest were from Pampanga and Bataan, the Central Luzon Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

As of Saturday, flooding in Pampanga had damaged crops, mostly rice, fisheries and livestock initially worth P277.3 million, the council said.

As many as 117 villages in the region were inundated, affecting about 189,611 families or some 850,000 residents. Many were brought to 106 evacuation centers—schools, day care centers, gyms and chapels converted into emergency living quarters. There are still nearly 9,000 people staying there.
Dam waters rose
The heavy rains also caused water levels in Central Luzon dams to rise, officials said.

The elevation at Angat Dam stood at 190.60 meters above sea level (masl) as of early Saturday. The water level at Ipo Dam was at 102.10 masl while at Bustos Dam it was at 17.37 masl. At Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, the water level reached 187.40 masl.