THIRTY-FOUR barangays in three Pampanga towns have been flooded as of Friday afternoon, July 23, due to the Southwest Monsoon affecting most of the country, said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).
Some 22 barangays in Masantol have been submerged in one to two feet of floodwater since July 21 due to the incessant monsoon rains, high tide and the water coming from upstream areas.
Another 10 barangays in Macabebe are also in flooded as high as three feet particularly in Santo Niño and San Juan.
Coastal barangays of Bancal Sinubli and Bancal Pugad in Lubao town also reported flooding in their areas due to continuous rains and high tide.
The PDRRMC said that Kalsadang Bayu Road in Masantol and Sitio Bancal Maliwalu Bridge in Bacolor are not passable to light vehicles as of Friday afternoon, July 23.
Some 4,530 households or 23,291 people are currently affected by the flooding situation in Masantol town alone. Two families from Barangay Santa Cruz and another from Barangay Castuli in Macabebe are now in two separate evacuation centers.
The monsoon rains have been enhanced by Typhoon Fabian, which was located at 495 kilometer northeast of Itbayat, Batanes on Friday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 185 km/h.
