24 killed, over 1M people affected by floods in Central Luzon

A total of 24 people in Central Luzon were reported killed while more than a million others have been affected by floods caused by heavy rain in past days, regional disaster management officials said Friday. A report by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-Region 3 (RDRRMC3) showed a total of 342,504 families – roughly 1,510,351 people in 966 barangays in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales – have been affected. Also it showed 18,817 families or 85,795 people are in 271 evacuation centers in the region. Central Luzon is composed of the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija. Only Aurora province was not affected by the rain and floods that swept through Central Luzon and neighboring regions in the past several days, the RDRRMC3 report added. RDRRMC3 chairperson Josefina Timoteo, in an interview with GMA News Online, said the present flooding in Central Luzon is a result of the combined effect of the rain dumped by tropical cyclones Ferdie and Gener and the recent long hours of downpour brought by the southwest monsoon. Timoteo cited clogged rivers and drainage systems to have contributed to the severe flooding in some areas in the region. She said local government units should review local policies, even as they work to lessen if not prevent the impact of floods in their areas. Rogelio dela Cruz, 62, an evacuee at the evacuation center in Barangay Apulid in Paniqui, Tarlac, said he has experienced being displaced by floods since he was in his early twenties. Although he has accepted that he lives in an flood-prone area, he still wishes that one day, he and his family need not leave their home due to flood. Relief operations continue in Central Luzon evacuation centers located in schools, covered courts, or designated areas. Rice, canned goods and coffee are among the most common items in relief packages given to evacuees. Blankets and mats are also among the items families need at evacuation centers. President Benigno Aquino III, who visited the evacuation center in Tarlac in the morning, is scheduled to visit several evacuation centers in Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan. Aquino assured continued government assistance for families displaced by recent floods and told the people not to lose hope amid adversities. This was also the president's message on Thursday, when he paid visits to several evacuation centers in some flood-hit cities in Metro Manila. — LBG, GMA News