‘State of calamity’ declared in 3 Bataan areas due to floods

SUBMERGED Waist-deep floodwater submerges the Puerto Rivas village in the City of Balanga on Thursday, which is among
the hardest-hit areas in Bataan province following days of monsoon rains. Over 12,000 residents in Bataan are currently
seeking shelters in evacuation sites. —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BALANGA CITY DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OFFICE

CITY OF BALANGA—This capital city of Bataan province and the towns of Dinalupihan and Hermosa were placed under a state of calamity following the massive flooding caused by the continuous rains on Thursday.

At least 12 low-lying villages here were submerged in floodwater that reached up to 6-feet-high (1.8 meters) at the height of the flooding, displacing about 600 families, or 2,600 individuals, data from the local disaster risk reduction and management office showed.

Over 12,000 more families in seven other towns of Bataan were taken to evacuation centers or sought shelter in relatives’ houses.

In Dinalupihan, 26 of its 46 villages reported severe flooding while rain-induced landslides were threatening some vulnerable areas, forcing the declaration of a state of calamity on Thursday.

But vaccination against COVID-19 would continue for willing residents, including the senior citizens, said Dinalupihan Municipal Administrator Rollie Rojas by phone on Friday.

Work, class suspension

Classes in all levels in the entire province were suspended while government work remained suspended in the towns of Hermosa and Orani on Friday.

Hermosa was also placed on a state of calamity by the municipal council on Thursday to speed up access to calamity funds to aid residents of the villages of Cataning, Almacen, A. Rivera, Culis, Palihan inundated by monsoon floods.

In Zambales, at least 316 families, or 934 individuals, were evacuated following the widespread flooding triggered by incessant rains.

Rolex Estella, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said most of the displaced families were from the coastal town of San Antonio.

Floods had affected 183 families, or 552 individuals, from nine villages of San Antonio. The other displaced families were from the towns of Subic, Castillejos, San Felipe and Cabangan.

Damaged farms

Estella said the heavy downpour and the widespread floods left about P8.6 million worth of damage to the province’s agriculture.

In Pampanga province, the towns of Masantol and Macabebe already declared a state of calamity on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, due to the weeklong rainfall that inundated low-lying villages.

Over 163,634 families, or 551,432 individuals, in the entire Central Luzon were affected by the severe flooding as of Friday, data from the regional disaster risk reduction and management council showed.

About P239 million worth of damage to agriculture was also recorded in the region, according to government data. —REPORTS FROM GREG REFRACCION, JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT AND TONETTE OREJAS