FLOODING CONTINUES AFTER ‘EGAY’ EXITS

THE Sangguniang Panlungsod, in a special session called by Mayor Belen Fernandez Friday morning, passed a resolution that declared a state of calamity for Dagupan City to help ease the sufferings of city residents affected by both tornado and floods spawned by Super Typhoon Egay.

The resolution was requested by Fernandez to enable the city to utilize its quick reaction fund from the five percent calamity fund, but whose use will only be limited for buying food and medicines for flood victims and will not include damages to  infrastructures since Dagupan is still operating on a reenacted 2022 budget.

City Legal Officer Aurora Valle said only P24 million from the five percent calamity fund  can be harnessed for food and medicines of the Dagupan typhoon victims.

Councilor and Majority Floor Leader Librada Reyna-Macalanda moved for the passage of resolution which was unanimously seconded by all SP members.

During the deliberation, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Ronald de Guzman reported that 218 houses were destroyed, 27 totally damaged and 191 partially, when a tornado struck several barangays in the afternoon of July 25.

The damaged houses are in Bacayao Norte, Bacayao Sur, Bolosan, Bonuan Binloc, Bonuan Gueset, Calmay, Carael, Caranglaan, Herrero-Perez, Lasip Chico, Lasip Grande, Lomboy, Lucao, Pantal, Poblacion Oeste, Pugaro, Salapingao and Tambac.

The tornado, which struck at 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. on July 25 at a time when Tropical Wind  Signal No 1 was still hoisted in Dagupan, also  blew away  sheds of 36 ambulant  vendors along Galvan Street and the Magsaysay Market and unroofed a building of University of Pangasinan-Phinma.

The flooded areas as of Friday noon were Bacayao  Norte, Bacayao Sur, Bonuan  Binloc, Bonuan Boquig, Bonuan Gueset, Calmay, Caranglaan, Herero-Perez, Pogo Chico, Lasip Grande, Lucao, Malued, Mamalingling, Pantal, Poblacion Oeste, Pogo Chico, Pogo Grande, Tambac, Tapuac, Barangay 1, Barangay  2 and 3, Barangay IV, Pugaro, Lomboy and Salapingao.

De Guzman said the flooding of most of the barangays of Dagupan was caused by the swelling of the Sinocalan River in Sta. Barbara, which at 6:00 a.m. on Friday already reached the critical level of 7.4 meters above sea level.

In this level of water of the Sinocalan River in Sta. Barbara, all the barangays in Dagupan were already flooded in varying levels, and the level of water was still rising as the rainwater collected by watershed upstream was still going down.

He said that water that flowed to Dagupan’s Pantal River was brownish in color, indicating that the water cascading down to Dagupan was originating from the Cordillera mountains.

Meanwhile, City Social Welfare and Development Officer Irene Ferrer said the Department of Social Welfare and Development initially distributed only 5,000 relief packs, not enough to serve the number of residents affected.

Ferrer said her office opened six evacuation centers, at the Dagupan People’s Astrodome and the Sabangan Elementary School in Bonuan Gueset.

Meanwhile there were 42 families composed of 106 individuals that were evacuated to the Science building of the Malued Elementary School Thursday afternoon due to rising flood waters in Malued’s Sitio Fisheries.

City Agriculture Officer Patrick Dizon reported that initial damages to fisheries in Dagupan were estimated at P700,000. In agriculture, 158 farmers tilling 110 hectares of land in five barangays were affected. (Leonardo Micua)

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