Central Luzon areas flooded due to rains from Habagat enhanced by Egay, Falcon

Several parts of Central Luzon were flooded on Saturday due to the continuous rains brought by the combined effects of Severe Tropical Storm Falcon, Typhoon Egay, and the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat.

Bulacan

In Bulacan, Governor Daniel Fernando on Sunday said 14 municipalities and two cities were affected by the flood, which was also caused by the high tide and water from upstream. He said the Bustos Dam in the province also released a lot of water.

“Itong Egay, ang nagpabaha talaga sa atin ay 'yung pagbatak niya. Hinatak kasi ‘yung Habagat. ‘Pag batak nito sa Habagat, nagdala ng maraming ulan and then sinabayan pa ng high tide. 'Yung high tide nakakaapekto 'yan sa Malolos, Calumpit, bandang Hagonoy,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(What really caused the flooding was Egay pulling the Southwest Monsoon. That brought us a lot of rain. Then there was also high tide which affected  Malolos, Calumpit, and Hagonoy.)

“May tubig pa na bababa sa Pampanga River Basin. May manggagaling pa sa upstream na nanggagaling sa may bandang San Jose del Monte at Sta. Maria. Sabay-sabay na,” the governor added.

(Water was also coming down from the Pampanga River Basin, and upstream from San Jose del Monte and Sta. Maria. They were affecting us all at once.)

Fernando said more than 15,000 individuals or 4,400 families in Bulacan were affected by the inclement weather.

Meanwhile, Toll Regulatory Board spokesperson Julius Corpuz said they were forced to close a portion of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Bocaue, Bulacan on Saturday due to flooding.

“Nu'ng hapon pa lamang, nagsimula nang medyo tumaas ang tubig dito sa Bocaue. Ipinahinto muna, dahil ayaw nating malagay sa alanganin ang ating mga motorista. Subalit hindi naman naglaon ay humapa at nakadaan din sila,” he said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.

(The water started to rise in the afternoon here in Bocaue. We had to stop the motorists because we didn't want to put them in harm, but it didn't take long for them to pass.)

Despite this, Corpuz said there were no untoward incidents reported among motorists in the municipality.

Pampanga

In Pampanga, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Angie Blanco said that 200 barangays in 15 municipalities and cities were flooded as of Saturday night.

Several inner roads in the province also remained impassable, according to her.

“Sa SCTEX, 'yung malapit sa bridge do’n, siguro mahigit isang linggo na natin hindi pinadadaanan 'yun. May re-route sa Sta. Rita dahil sa ginagawang repair sa SCTEX bridge. Malakas ang daloy ng tubig sa river channel kaya ni-reroute muna ang mga sasakyan,” she added in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.

(In SCTEX, the part near the bridge has been impassable for more than a week now. There is a re-route in Sta. Rita because of the repairs being done on the SCTEX bridge. The water flow in the river channel was also strong so the vehicles were rerouted first.)

She was referring to the SCTEX Pasig Potrero Bridge. It was still temporarily closed as of Sunday "due to very strong river flow caused by heavy rains the past few days," NLEX Corporation said in a tweet.

Blanco said 1,026 families in Pampanga were evacuated in 69 evacuation centers. 

Bataan

In Bataan, PDRRMO's Glenn Diwa said that light to moderate rain was being experienced in the province on Sunday morning which is under an orange rainfall warning from PAGASA as of before 7 a.m.

Ten barangays were also still flooded, according to her.

“Mayroon pa ring flooded areas especially sa municipality of Hermosa which is as of now, may 10 barangays na flooded pa...Sa Barangay Almacen mataas pa rin, nasa 2 to 4 feet [ang baha],” Diwa said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(There are still flooded areas especially in the municipality of Hermosa which as of now, 10 barangays are still affected... In Barangay Almacen, the flood is still high at 2 to 4 feet.)

Tropical Storm Falcon (international name: Khanun) developed into a severe tropical storm before dawn on Sunday and continues to enhance the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).

The monsoon will bring occasional to monsoon rains over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas in the next three days, PAGASA said in its bulletin. —KG, GMA Integrated News