PAGASA: Floods in Pampanga, Bulacan 'slowly receding'

Flooding in the Pampanga River Basin “is expected to persist for several days" but the waters are "slowly receding" according to the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center of the PAGASA Hydro-Meteorology division. This forecast, however, does not yet factor in the impact of the approaching Typhoon "Quiel". In the PAGASA Friday 5 p.m. bulletin valid until 5 a.m. Saturday, “continued slow recession was monitored at five stations along the Pampanga River. These stations are at San Isidro, Arayat, Sulpan Zaragoza, and Candaba. It is only at the San Isidro station, “flooding from (the) river is no longer expected to persist." The areas surrounding this point are the towns of San isidro, Jaen and San Leonardo.

Flooding is expected to persist from Zaragoza in Tarlac and down along the Pampanga River until where the river reaches flows out to Manila Bay. Source: PAGASA PRFFWC

Coastal flooding is also anticipated in low-lying seashore areas where the Pampanga River leads out to the northern section of Manila Bay. High tide and river flooding combine to inundate parts of the towns of Hagonoy, Paombong, Masantol, Macabebe, Guagua, Sasmuan, Lubao, and Minalin. Through their official Twitter account, PAGASA flood forecasters also said that the dams of Angat, Ipo, Pantabangan, Ambuklao, Binga, and San Roque are all releasing water. Angat and Ipo dams in Bulacan province both have three gates open. Pantabangan dam in Pampanga is not spilling water because its latest level of 205.10 meters as of 8 p.m. Friday is far from its spilling level of 221 meters. The Ambuklao and Binga, which are along the Agno River Basin in Pangasinan province, are spilling. Ambuklao has three gates up while Binga has five gates open. PAGASA clarifies that only some towns are affected by the dam releases and that the rest of the waters that cause the flooding come from the rivers and streams that feed into the Pampanga River. The names of the affected towns downstream from the dams are indicated in various hydrographs on the website of the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC).

Seven towns from Angat Lake to the Pampanga River are affected whenever water is released from Angat dam. Source: PAGASA PRFFWC

— ELR, GMA News