‘Falcon,’ monsoon rains trigger floods in Olongapo, Zambales
SUNDAY FLOOD. Flood waters, triggered by rains spawned by the southwest monsoon and severe tropical storm “Falcon” (international name: Khanun), submerged streets and many houses in a coastal Barangay San Miguel in San Antonio, Zambales on Sunday, July 30, (Photo by Joanna Rose Aglibot)
SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — Floodwaters submerged roads and houses in several areas in this province and nearby Olongapo City due to incessant rains brought by the southwest monsoon which is now being strengthened by severe tropical storm “Falcon” (international name: Khanun).
The whole Barangay (village) San Miguel in this town looked like a river on Sunday morning (July 30) due to widespread flooding. The water reached waist-high and entered many houses.
On Saturday night (July 29), many residents in Olongapo took to social media with desperate pleas for help as flood water reached the roofs of their houses.
As of this writing, no data was available as to how many more residents were added to the list of evacuees. As of Saturday, at least 800 families in Olongapo City and several towns in this province evacuated to safer grounds.
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Sunday, said that the flood water in all roads in this province and in Olongapo subsided.
Some roads were impassable to light vehicles, with floodwaters reaching a depth of up to 14 inches at 11 p.m. on Saturday. These are Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Apo-Rotonda Road, and Rizal Avenue in Olongapo City, as well as various segments of the Olongapo-Bugallon Road in Subic town in Zambales.
In its 5 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (Pagasa) said Falcon was last seen 1,190 kilometers (km) east of Northern Luzon moving 15 kilometers per hour (kph) and carrying maximum sustained winds of 95 kph and gusts of up to 115 kph.
According to Pagasa, Falcon has enhanced the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” which will bring occasional monsoon rains over the western portions of Luzon and Visayas in the next three days.
