SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan – Municipal officials here declared a state of calamity Wednesday afternoon following massive flooding in at least seven barangays caused by a breach in a dike.
Mayor Leoncio Saldivar III told The STAR that the Calaocan dike along the Ambayaoan River was breached by about 100 meters, causing heavy flooding in the barangays of Calaocan, Cabitnongan, Poblacion East, Poblacion West, Casaratan, Sobol and San Roque.
Saldivar said more than 600 families were evacuated to the West Central and Calaocan elementary schools, while others sought temporary shelter with their relatives.
Saldivar said this is the first time in his four years as mayor that such heavy flooding occurred.
The municipal government distributed relief goods to the affected residents and Gov. Amado Espino Jr. deployed a relief and rescue team, including heavy equipment and rubber boats.
Saldivar said it would take about three to five days for the floodwaters to subside.
He said they had undertaken sandbagging along the banks of the 500-meter wide Ambayaoan River but floodwaters from upstream came rampaging and breached the Calaocan dike.
Saldivar said he has talked to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and other concerned authorities to include Ambayaoan River in the Agno Flood Control System (AFCS) project under President Arroyo’s 10-point agenda.
Saldivar said they need about P127 million for the Ambayaoan River dike, although Engineer Fidel Ginez, DPWH regional director and AFCS head, recently assured him of an initial P10 million for the project.