Central Luzon bears brunt of super typhoon Carina

RESCUE Policemen help evacuate members of a family living along a river in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan on Wednesday as Supertyphoon “Carina” batters Luzon. —PHOTO COURTESY OF POLICE REGIONAL OFFICE 3

MABALACAT CITY—Despite leaving the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday, Supertyphoon “Carina” (international name: Gaemi) left 502 villages flooded in Central Luzon region, affecting 1.137 million people while claiming the lives of at least nine people.

Carina enhanced the southwest monsoon (“habagat”) as it cut a path of destruction over Luzon, triggering landslides and floods at its peak early this week.

Data from the regional police on Friday showed that six of the fatalities recorded in the region were from Bulacan, while the rest were from Pampanga, including Angeles City.

In Bulacan, Norberto Alfonso was found dead in the compound of his residence, while the body of Roy Xavier Dumas was found beside the Linawan River in San Jose del Monte. Jarrel Pangan died after falling in a river in Bocaue.

Village councilman Conrado del Rosario died in a deep flood while helping constituents evacuate in Barangay Abangan Sur in Marilao, while Jennalyn Leoncio drowned in a flood in Tuktukan village in Guiguinto town. The body of an unidentified woman was also seen floating along the Angat River.

In Pampanga, Maria Timbang-Nigas died after floodwater swamped her house in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Lubao.

At 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sweet Dimple Pelayo, 24, and her daughter Diana Joy, 5, were sleeping when rocks and soil buried their house along the bank of Abacan River in Barangay Pampang, Angeles City. They died while the father, Nestor Cerezo Jr., survived.

Missing

In Zambales, authorities were still looking for Narciso Damaso who was swept by the strong current of the Vega River in Natividad village, San Narciso town.

Bataan reported 134 flooded barangays; Bulacan, 162; Pampanga, 143; Zambales, 41; Nueva Ecija, 14; and Tarlac, eight, according to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in a report released at 11 a.m. on Friday.

The report of the Pampanga DRRMC on Friday counted 215 flooded barangays in 13 towns and a city.

Water levels in portions of the downstream Pampanga River in Arayat, Candaba and Apalit breached the alert levels.

State of calamity

Only the provincial governments of Bataan and Bulacan and the local government of Macabebe town in Pampanga placed their localities under a state of calamity.

As of Friday, 29,883 people sought refuge in evacuation centers while 59,070 people found safe grounds elsewhere but were being served by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Four dams in the region remained below normal water levels except for Bustos and Ipo dams in Bulacan, with authorities ordering several gates to be opened for the slow release of water.

Seven roads are still not passable as of Friday, the RDRRMC said. In Bulacan, these are the Balagtas to Matungao Road in Bulakan, San Juan and Wawa in Balagtas, and Pandayan and Banga in the City of Meycauayan. In Tarlac, these are in Cacamilingan Sur and Sawat in Camiling.

READ: Typhoon Carina exits PAR

In Pampanga, the provincial DRRMC reported 51 destroyed houses while 45 others were damaged.

Losses to fisheries in the region were pegged at P17.149 million based on the data of the RDRRMC but the Pampanga DRRMC had already reported damage to palay and fisheries reaching P121.607 million and P185.661 million, respectively.

The regional DSWD reported releasing P26.015 million worth of assistance. The regional Office of Civil Defense provided nonfood items to the City of Meycauayan.

In Tarlac, damage to agriculture reached P52 million, data from the provincial government showed on Thursday.

According to the Tarlac DRRMC, close to 7,000 hectares of farmlands planted with rice, corn and high-value crops were mostly affected.