Downpour leaves five barangays of town in Bulacan flooded

Flood hit five barangays in Sta. Maria town in Bulacan due to hours of heavy rain on Thursday night.

"Unang Balita" reported Friday morning that the downpour lasted for two hours, leaving vehicles, mostly tricycles, stuck in floodwaters.

Barangay Sta. Cruz was most badly affected by rampaging water, flooding residential areas.

Rain began to fall heavily at past 8 p.m. and lasted for about two hours, a barangay official told GMA News.

CCTV footage in Barangay Sta. Cruz’s Sitio Gulod caught some residents wading through knee-deep floodwater.

In Sitio Pag-asa, floodwater was waist-deep but it quickly drained out, residents said, adding that rushing water soaked some appliances.

In some areas, residents say, floodwater reached shoulder levels.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) officials reported flood-hit barangays included Sta. Cruz, Poblacion, Guyong, sta. Clara, and Caysio.

Twenty families were evacuated, but were allowed to return home after hours, PDRRMO officials added. —LBG, GMA News