Tarlac rivers swelling to critical levels; flash floods hit Iloilo City

TARLAC CITY — The seven major river channels in the province continued to rise to critical levels yesterday even as tropical storm "Chedeng" started to move away toward the direction of Japan.

In Iloilo City, meanwhile, flash floods triggered by heavy rains have swept 65 barangays in three districts, Jaro being the hardest hit, displacing some 22,630 families.

Elsewhere in Western Visayas, 126 barangays were also flooded, displacing 28,642 families or 140,727 people.

Authorities reported one dead, a six-month-old baby girl, in Iloilo City, and another fatality, a 17-year-old boy, elsewhere in Iloilo. Two others were reported missing.

In a report to Tarlac Gov. Jose Yap Sr., retired Army Gen. Virgilio Florendo, head of the provincial disaster coordinating council, attributed the rising water to the continuous heavy downpour within the Tarlac-Zambales-Pampanga mountain ranges.

Portions of the Romulo Highway, which links Tarlac to the southwestern towns of Pangasinan, were impassable to light vehicles, especially in Barangays Cacamilingan Sur and Norte, Surgui 1, 2 and 3 in Camiling town, where floodwaters reached at least two feet deep.

Florendo said the waters of the Tarlac, O’Donnell and Sacobia rivers in Tarlac City, Capas and Bamban towns, respectively, were slowly rising to above normal levels.

The same situation was reported in the Rio Chico River in La Paz town, threatening to cut off transportation along the Tarlac-Zaragoza Road that links this province to Nueva Ecija; and in the Lucong River in Concepcion town.

The waters of the Camiling and Batacan rivers in Camiling and San Clemente towns, respectively, were also rising, further disrupting the flow of vehicles between Tarlac’s northwestern towns and Pangasinan’s southwestern municipalities.

Florendo said sandbagging operations have started along the banks of the Tarlac River in Barangays Ayson and Malayep in Gerona town.

In coordination with the provincial police, Florendo said he has put on standby several vehicles for the possible evacuation of flood-stricken villagers should the heavy downpour continue in the next few days.

So far, he said there have been no reports of casualties in the province due to the onslaught of "Chedeng" and monsoon rains. — With Leo Solinap