2 dead, 2 missing in Luzon floods

Two persons drowned, two others were reported missing and about 30,000 people were evacuated due to widespread flooding in Central and Northern Luzon, relief officials said yesterday.

Central Luzon officials of the Office of Civil Defense identified the two drowning victims as Joel Tan, 35, of Dingalan, Aurora, and two-year-old Tintin Nolasco, of Pulilan, Bulacan.

In Isabela, two villagers were reported missing yesterday after they were washed away by rampaging floodwaters in Cauayan City and Ramon town, said Chief Superintendent Jefferson Soriano, Cagayan Valley police director.

The massive flooding triggered by days of heavy monsoon rains has left, according to initial estimates, P14.7 million in infrastructure damage and losses in agriculture and fisheries.

But the extent of damage is expected to soar as many areas remain isolated by floodwaters, especially in Aurora, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.

Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara said the provincial board is poised to declare another state of calamity due to the massive flooding in the northern towns of Dingalan, Casiguran and Dilasag, which remained isolated yesterday.

Aurora officials earlier placed the province under a state of calamity due to the destruction wreaked by a typhoon, including infrastructure damage estimated at P55 million, last month.

"As soon as we have the data (on agricultural losses), we will declare a new state of calamity," Angara said.

In Casiguran, 24 of its 25 barangays remained flooded.

Soriano said at least 30 towns in the Cagayan Valley provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino were still heavily flooded, too.

As of press time, the Isabela towns of Ilagan, Tumauini, Cabagan, San Pablo, Santa Maria, Dinapigue, Santo Tomas, Jones and San Agustin were still isolated.

The situation also prevailed in the towns of Baggao, Tuao and Pamplona in Cagayan and Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya as bridges linking them to the rest of the two provinces were either destroyed or breached by floodwaters.

The flooding in Isabela’s northern towns worsened due to excess water released from Magat Dam’s six floodgates.

Stretches of the national highway in Isabela and Cagayan were impassable to all types of vehicles.

According to Central Luzon civil defense officials, at least 99 barangays in Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan and Aurora were still submerged in two to three feet of water.

In the four provinces alone, 6,725 families were affected by the floods, said Evelyn Manalo, regional spokeswoman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. — Ding Cervantes, Charlie Lagasca, Artemio Dumlao, Jaime Laude, Ric Sapnu