Life not yet back to normal in some Laguna towns

MANILA, Philippines - Life has not yet returned to normal in several towns of Laguna after the devastation of three weather disturbances that hit the province and several regions in the country, as flooding continues to burden residents.

In Sta. Cruz town, which lies along the shores of the Laguna de Bay, several villages are still submerged in waist-deep water, forcing residents to go to and from their destinations using boats.

At the town hall, relief operations are going full blast to distribute basic goods to the affected residents.

Power has not yet been restored here after tropical storm Santi (international codename Mirinae) brought powerful winds that toppled structures and several houses and damaged power lines.

Residents here said they do not expect the floodwaters to subside soon, because the initial flooding brought about by tropical storm Ondoy was aggravated by Pepeng and Santi, which has already left the country.

There are a number of families who fled their homes and are seeking shelter in evacuation centers in higher places.

But the spirit of the residents to bring their lives back to normalcy was not dampened by the rains or the floods, as they continued to clean up their villages that are still submerged by floodwaters and tried to return to their work.

In Pagsanjan, residents, along with Army rescuers are clearing up villages of debris that piled up since the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy.

Mayor Jorge Ejercito has started making rounds of the affected villages to assess the damage brought about by the recent typhoons to his town.

In Majayjay, several bridges linking villages to the town’s center are still impassable to vehicles after these, too, were damaged by the raging floodwaters brought about by the overflowing of the Laguna Lake.