Children evacuated from flood-hit villages in Botolan town, Zambales province are staring to get sick as more people abandon their homes due to rising floodwaters.

The provincial disaster coordinating council in Zambales said a total of 1,941 families or 70,000 persons from 5 flooded villages in Botolan have been evacuated.

Most of the evacuated families’ homes are either totally submerged in floods or damaged, officials said.

The affected villages were Carael, Capayawan, Bangan, San Miguel and Paco.

ABS-CBN’s Ina Reformina reported that several children were suffering from fever, cough and colds due to limited relief supplies being brought to the three evacuation centers.

Reformina reported that medicines and relief goods from the local government could not be immediately delivered because roads were still impassable due to floods.

Zambales was one of the six provinces in the northern and central part of Luzon that have been placed under storm signal No. 1 by weather bureau PAGASA.

Even before tropical depression “Maring” developed into a storm, the province has been experiencing incessant monsoon rains since over the weekend.

Heavy rains came as Botolan town was still recovering from the damages brought on by a previous storm that hit the country on August.

Official in Olongapo City, meanwhile, said majority of the more than 200 families affected by floods have started returning home.

At least 6 villages went under waist-deep floodwaters caused by heavy rains.

Reports said at least 16 villages are flooded in 3 towns in Zambales. With reports from Ina Reformina and Jeff Canoy, ABS-CBN News