Thousands evacuated in Pangasinan
EVACUATION of residents in severely flooded parts of the province was continuing as of Friday morning, with thousands already temporarily moved out of their homes earlier in the week as successive typhoons brought rains and rivers overflowed.
As of September 25 afternoon, a total of 3,587 families or 10,629 individuals in Pangasinan have so far been affected by Super Typhoon Nando (international name: Ragasa), according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
In Urdaneta City, there were 33 families of 80 or individuals who were brought to various evacuation centers as 57 barangays were reported flooded.
Dagupan City’s 23 of 31 barangays were submerged, while there were 21 flooded barangays in Calasiao, and 14 in Sta. Barbara.
More than 100 families in Calasiao have been forced to flee their homes so far and the town’s emergency responders have been making the rounds to rescue trapped residents, including those who refused to follow the call for pre-emptive evacuation as early as Monday, September 22.
“Our rescue teams are very busy responding to requests for assistance, particularly from areas like Lumbang, Mancup, and Lasip,” Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Zaldy Malit said in an interview.
With more rain anticipated over the weekend from Typhoon Opong (international name: Bualoi), Malit urged residents to take precautionary measures: “If the river levels rise any further, we strongly advise people to evacuate early to avoid being trapped.”
Flooding was also reported in some barangays of the neighboring towns of San Fabian and Mangaldan.
The towns of Umingan and Balungao were already flooded earlier due to rains spawned by Tropical Depression Mirasol (international name: Mitag), which was quickly followed thereafter by Super Typhoon Nando.
The Villa Verde Road linking San Nicolas in Pangasinan to Sta. Fe in Nueva Vizcaya, across the Caraballo Mountains, was closed due to landslides in different segments. (Leonardo Micua, Ahikam Pasion, with a report from Mathew Pacheco of IFM Dagupan)
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