Tarlac folk’s flood woes not yet over

PANIQUI, Tarlac — Residents of this town, already inconvenienced by floods for days, may find themselves bracing for heavier flooding.

The threat also lingers for the neighboring towns of Moncada, Ramos and Anao.

This, as the remaining earth dike along the Tarlac River in Barangay Colibangbang here might give way due to strong currents, Vice Mayor Joy Gilbert Lamorena said.

Lamorena and Benjamin Lopez, district engineer of the public works department in Tarlac, inspected the earth dike late Wednesday.

In nearby Gerona town, meanwhile, a 200-meter stretch of the dike in Barangay Malayep was breached the other day.

With floodwaters rampaging through the river’s opening in Barangay Colibangbang, the road linking Paniqui to Camiling was impassable.

A 50-meter portion of the road in Barangay Cabayaoasan was swept away, while another 150-meter section between the village and neighboring Barangay Rangayan collapsed.

As of yesterday, the death toll reached 11 even as search and rescue teams continued to scour flood-stricken areas for more missing persons.

Initial estimates placed agricultural losses in the province at P142 million and infrastructure damage at P214.5 million.

More than 7,500 families remain affected by the floods which were spawned by last week’s torrential rains, but most of them prefer to stay in their homes, according to the provincial disaster coordinating council.