Pampanga power still on despite prolonged flooding — governor

The power supply in Pampanga remains operational despite several areas being submerged in floodwaters for almost three weeks, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda said Sunday.

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Pineda said parts of Pampanga have been submerged in waist-deep floodwaters for nearly three weeks amid continuous heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat.

“Meron eh… Kaya nga ngayon makikipag-meeting ako sa mga telco cooperative natin. Titignan ko, tatanungin ko [kasi] responsibilidad ninyo ’yan,” Pineda said.

(It is still on... That is why today I will meet with our electric cooperatives. I will look into it and ask them, because that is their responsibility.)

Pineda said keeping electricity and water services running is important because cutting off these utilities could prompt residents to leave their homes.

She added that residents would not be at risk of electrocution as long as their household electrical installations are properly secured.

“Okay lang, Paolo, Toni, kung hindi sila aalis. Kung safe naman ’yung installation ng kuryente nila, pag bumaba ay hindi sila makukuryente, ’di ba? Kasi dapat siguraduhin nila,” she added.

(It’s fine, Paolo and Toni, if they don’t leave—provided their electrical installations are safe. They won’t be electrocuted when the water recedes, right? They just need to make sure their installations are safe.)

Aside from the risk of contracting diseases such as leptospirosis, authorities have warned of electrical hazards in flooded areas that could lead to fatalities.

The Department of Health in Central Luzon has reminded the public of the danger of wading through floodwaters near live wires or electrical outlets, as well as touching plugged-in appliances that have become wet or submerged.

Catch basin

Pineda said flooding in the province was caused not only by rainfall within Pampanga but also by runoff from upstream and mountainous areas, as the province serves as a catch basin.

She said the sudden rise in floodwaters on Saturday night forced authorities to carry out emergency evacuations.

“…Bigla na naman tumaas ’yung tubig kasi hindi mo kasi ma-predict ’yung tubig na nanggagaling sa bundok eh," Pineda said.

(...The water level suddenly rose again because you can’t predict the runoff coming from the mountains.)

"Ang tubig kasi namin ay nanggagaling sa bundok ng Zambales, Sierra Madre, at saka Aurora, Nueva Ecija. So ’yung tubig, pababa sa amin,” she added.

(Our floodwaters come from the mountains of Zambales, the Sierra Madre, as well as Aurora and Nueva Ecija. So all that water flows down to us.)

Pineda said that the rapid rise in floodwaters forced the province to monitor far more areas than it typically does.

“Hindi namin inaasahan pero sobra ngayon, first time na nangyari sa’min. Dati rati ilang bayan lang ang mino-monitor namin na tabi ng Pampanga River, pero ngayon lahat, halos lahat ng mga river namin,” Pineda said.

(We did not expect this, but it is overwhelming now—it’s the first time this has happened to us. Previously, we only monitored a few towns along the Pampanga River, but now we are monitoring almost all of our rivers.)

The governor noted flooding in Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, Santo Tomas, Sasmuan, San Fernando, Mexico and other coastal towns near Manila Bay.

Amid the continuing rains, Pineda urged families to evacuate before floodwaters rise too high, particularly those with young children and senior citizens.

Pineda said province-wide casualty figures were not yet available because local officials had yet to submit their official reports on the impact of the Habagat.

The governor said she was also set to meet with responding agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Office of Civil Defense, to coordinate rescue operations.

“Aanuhin namin na ’pag umaga, lalo na may paparating pang mga Habagat, pag-uusapan na namin na bawal na ’yung forced evacuation sa gabi, kasi baka madisgrasya ’yung ni-rescue mo, madisgrasya pa ’yung mga nagre-rescue. Ang haba naman ng umaga, eight hours ’yan,” Pineda said.

(We will discuss having forced evacuations conducted only during the daytime, especially with more Habagat rains expected, because the person being rescued could get hurt, and the rescuers could also get hurt. There are about eight hours of daylight.)— MCG, GMA News