Floods put two Bataan towns under state of calamity

According to [Manila Bulletin], thousands of families and individuals were displaced while the city of Balanga and the municipality of Dinalupihan were declared under a state of calamity as a result of massive floods that hit the province yesterday due to non-stop monsoon rains the past week.

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As of the latest report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), around 12,227 families were brought to evacuation centers in the different municipalities of Abucay, Hermosa, Orani, Orion, Morong, Bagac, Pilar, Mariveles, and in the city of Balanga at the height of the flooding last Thursday. Floods rose to as high as five to six feet in Hermosa, Orion, and Pilar.

While there were no reported fatalities, incidents of minor landslides were monitored in barangay Tipo, Hermosa, and barangay San Pablo in Dinalupihan.

An estimated P86 million worth of crops were damaged in the aftermath of the floods, while several infrastructures including bridges, houses, dikes, and irrigation dams were reported damaged due to flooding and landslide in Pilar, Abucay, Balanga, and Morong.

Bataan now under state calamity due to heavy rainfall. (Photo / Retrieved from Rappler)

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Bataan Governor Albert S. Garcia asked the local chief executives of each municipality to decide on the suspension of offices in their jurisdictions depending on the gravity of the damage in their areas. He also called on the public to remain vigilant as rains continue to pour intermittently due to the southwest monsoon rains.

According to [Manila Bulletin], all major thoroughfares in Bataan are now completely passable to all types of vehicles and electric power was already restored in the province.