CITY OF SAN FERNANDO —The Pampanga Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has begun distributing food aid to 72 families victimized by flashfloods that happened amid monsoon rains after Tropical Depression “Domeng” moved out the country.
At least 37 families in Barangay Mancatian have evacuated to a civic center at the Porac town proper after 3 to 4 feet high of water swamped 20 homes there at 6:45 a.m. on Friday, June 15, PDRRMO executive officer Angelina Blanco said.
Barangay Captain Edilberto Layug reported that water burst from a retaining wall that collapsed inside a nearby private resort.
Residents climbed a dike, helped by Layug and other leaders who monitoring lahar flows along the Pasig-Potrero River at around 6 a.m.
No one was injured in the incident. Engineers were sent to look for water outlets that drain to a creek in nearby Barangay Mitla.
Last June 8, the Pulong Bulu Creek in the City of San Fernando overflowed, leaving 35 families homeless.
Provincial Administrator Andres Pangilinan Jr. and Acting Governor-Senior Board Member Dinan Labung instructed the distribution of food packs to add to the supplies given by local governments, Blanco said.
The packs contain 5 kilograms of rice, 4 cans of sardines, 4 can of corned beef and a bottle of soy sauce.
Pampanga has been recently chosen as finalist in the National Gawad Kalasag Award for best PDRRM Council. Quirino and Dinagat Island are contenders as well.
In 2017, Pampanga ranked second to Isabela PDRRM Council, which has a well-equipped monitoring and operations command center. Pampanga stood out for its best practices in empowering communities to be alert and safe from disasters. Pampanga won the Regional Gawad Kalasag Award for five straight years.