(UPDATE) 31 villages in Dagupan under water
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/09/2009 6:06 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
MANILA - More than 3,000 residents lost their homes in Dagupan City, Pangasinan this week after floodwaters inundated all 31 barangays in the city in the wake of tropical depression Pepeng (international codename Parma).
Disaster officials said the entire city was flooded after water was released from the San Roque Dam.
Aside from Dagupan, other municipalities affected by the opened dam were the municipalities of Rosales, Bautista, Bayambang, Alcala, Sto. Tomas, Uzbitondo, San Carlos City, Lingayen, San Manuel, Tayug, Asingan, Natividad and Sta. Maria.
Three dikes collapsed in the areas of Bacnono, Sison and near Agno River, and a total of 10 dikes were reported damaged.
In scenes reminiscent of tropical storm Ondoy's (Ketsana) onslaught in Metro Manila, panicked residents fled to their rooftops as floodwaters inundated their homes.
Aerial footage taken in Pangasinan as of Friday afternoon showed some families still staying on their rooftops while awaiting rescue.
Lola Virginia was shivering with hunger and cold when rescuers found her Friday morning. In an interview, she said she was barely able to climb the roof when the flood hit her house.
"The water suddenly got higher. We couldn't go up quickly enough. I wasn't able to save anything," she told ABS-CBN.
Another resident cried as she pointed to her house while it was being swept away by the flood.
Floods to let up soon?
Officials said there are no signs that the floods would go down anytime soon. Electrical service has yet to be restored while business establishments and restaurants remain closed as of Friday.
Residents are queueing up to take a bus trip to 18 evacuation centers in the city, the largest of which is the Dagupan Astrodome.
"While there have been zero casualties, the evacuation centers are really filling up with evacuees," Mayor Al Fernandez said.
In Rosales, Pangasinan, 30 out of 37 villages were submerged in murky floodwaters after days of incessant rain brought by "Pepeng."
Most residents in the flooded barangays evacuated to government shelters early even before the floods hit. The town's municipal hall has become a virtual island as all roads leading to the town center have been flooded.
Officials said the floods swept away houses and vehicles and even inundated the first floor of a large mall where some 1,000 residents have evacuated.
Philippine Coast Guard officials are currently focused on evacuating residents still trapped on the roofs of their houses.
Some residents admitted that they were informed beforehand to leave their homes because of the possibility of a flood.
"Yes, we were told that there would be flood but we didn't know that they would be opening the dams," Reynaldo David, a resident of Rosales, said.
Local authorities expressed concern that the sudden rush of evacuees could stretch their limits in terms of relief goods. According to the Municipal Planning and Development Office, the focus is still on rescuing residents affected by the floods.
Flooding in Rosales, Pangasinan
In Rosales municipality in Pangasinan, many families are stuck in the second floors or on rooftops of their houses or were forced to leave for evacuation centers amid floods triggered by tropical depression Pepeng (international code name Parma).
Sections of Rosales were submerged in flood-waters from 3 to 10 feet high, according to various reports by residents in the area.
Even if the rain has stopped, residents reportedly fear another deluge.
In Poblacion town, for example, 11 families - including young children and babies - had to troop to the second floor of their boarding house for fear that the knee-deep floods in their baranggay would rise.
Engr. Avelino Magno, who occupies the house's second floor, said the families have been stuck there since 11 p.m. on Thursday.
"Boarders kasi silang lahat, nag-akyatan sila dito. Natakot sila [dahil] mabilis ang pagtaas ng tubig," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
(These families are boarders and they all went upstairs. They were scared because the water rose so fast.)
Geraldine Dimaali, one of the boarding house residents, said they were able to save their things before they rushed to the upper floor. She said the waters almost reached the second floor on Thursday evening.
"Noong dito na kami sa taas, nakapatong gamit namin. Hindi namin nalaman, inaabot na rin pala [ang gamit]. Wala pang kuryente. Siyempre nag-iiyakan kami. Kung inabot pa dito sa taas, saan kami pupunta?" she said.
(When we were upstairs, we put our things down. Before we realized, the water rose up, and reached our things. There is no electricty. Of course, we cried. If the water continued to rise, where would we go?)
Flood warning
Dimaali said they had to scrounge for food on Friday morning because the markets were flooded and 2 passing relief trucks had not stopped to give them supplies.
"Wala, lubog ang palengke. Kahapon may nakuha mga kasama namin na isang plastic ng kangkong at talong. Pero may bigas kami. 'Yon lang inulam namin," she said.
(The markets are flooded. Yesterday, one of us got a plastic bag with some river spinach and eggplant. We have rice. That's what we ate.)
Residents, however, reported that they were warned by town officials a day before about oncoming rains.
"Na-warning-an kami kagabi ng barangay captain. Yun lang maitutulong niya kasi sa dami ng pamilya sa baranggay namin. Kanya-kanya nalang kami ng diskarte kung paano kami maka-responde," said resident Reynaldo David.
(We were warned last night by our town captain. That's all he could do because there are so many families in our town. We were on our own on how we would respond [to the flood].)
David said his family was able to stock up on food that could last them 2 days, and wrap their clothes in plastic bags before the floods came.
"Ngayon lang umabot ng ganitong kataas. Sa baba, abot bubong ang tubig. (This is the first time that floods reached this high. In lower areas of our town, the houses were submerged)," he said.
Evacuation
Those who did not have upper floors, or who could not move to their neighbors' houses, fled to the town gym that serves as an informal evacuation center.
Francisca Zamora, one of those who took shelter at the gym, said the evacuees rely on themselves or on kindhearted neighbors for relief goods. She said the floods that hit her home was more than 6 feet high.
"Halos lahat ng gamit namin sira na. Iniwan na namin kasi kami naman ang madidisgrasya 'pag hindi kami umalis. (All our things are destroyed. We left them because we would die if we didn't leave)," she said.
Zamora, who said she was left without means to feed herself or her family, depended on dole-outs given by neighbors.
She said the evacuees were given several pieces of chicken meat to eat for lunch and dinner. They were also given some clothes to keep them warm.
Zamora added that there are no local officials who have taken charge of evacuation and relief efforts yet, and that the residents are left to their own devices.
"Walang opisyal na tumutulong ngayon. Kanya-kanyang kayod na kami. Kanya-kanyang diskarte na," she said.
As of posting, at least 30 of Pangasinan's towns were reported flooded. Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. said that as of 2 a.m. Friday, there were already 30,000 people in evacuation centers in higher areas of the province.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council earlier warned local officials about swelling rivers and advised people to flee to higher ground. Report by Adrian Ayalin and Ces Drilon, ABS-CBN News.
Comments