6,200 families in Tarlac, Pampanga told to evacuate

Rising floodwaters from heavy rains dumped by tropical depression "Henry" prompted officials of Tarlac and the Pampanga town of Candaba to order the evacuation yesterday of a total of 6,223 families to prevent loss of lives.

Social welfare officials said at least 243 barangays in Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac were flooded. The National Disaster Coordinating Council placed the number of affected people at 37,677 in three provinces alone.

"Henry" left four people dead and six others injured in Cagayan Valley, while five fishermen were reported missing in Zambales.

In Candaba, Mayor Jerry Pelayo ordered the forced evacuation of at least 114 families in five barangays as local officials expected the Pampanga River to swell last night.

Pelayo’s order affected families living along riverbanks in Barangays Mandasig, Pasig, Bambang, Gulap and Buan.

"I earlier told the families to (evacuate). Had they done so, (a) two-year-old boy would not have drowned," Pelayo said.

In Tarlac, Paniqui was the hardest-hit town with 2,581 families affected. Two hundred residents of Sitios Caturay and Basio in Barangay Poblacion North, Paniqui were evacuated due to rising floodwaters, which rendered the road linking Paniqui and Ramos towns impassable to all types of vehicles.

In Ramos town, floodwaters in Barangays San Juan and Poblacion South reached four feet, affecting 1,510 families, 38 of whom sought temporary shelter at a day care center.

At least 1,393 families were evacuated in Moncada town. In the town of La Paz, known to be the catchbasin of floodwaters coming from the towns of Victoria, Moncada, Ramos and Pura and Tarlac City, floodwaters in seven barangays reached two feet.

Tarlac Gov. Jose Yap instructed the provincial disaster coordinating council to continue assisting families in flood-prone areas.

The council was closely monitoring the dike in Paniqui town. When the dike was breached in August 2004, floodwaters, reaching up to five feet, swept through the entire town.

Continuous heavy rains are feared to swell the Tarlac River, threatening at least six barangays in Tarlac City with heavy flooding.

Floodwaters flowing down from the Zambales mountains to the O’Donnell River in Capas town have contributed to the swelling of the Tarlac River.

Floodwaters in a number of villages in Tarlac City, though, have reportedly reached three feet.

The Chico River has overflowed, rendering the La Paz-Zaragoza (Nueva Ecija) Road not passable to light vehicles.

Five hundred families in Barangay Armenia have been isolated after a 15-meter portion of an earth dike collapsed due to the strong current. — With Ric Sapnu, Charlie Lagasca and Jaime Laude