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San Roque dam releasing higher volumes of water

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abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/09/2009 9:32 AM

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PAGASA expects deeper floods in Pangasinan

MANILA - Weather bureau PAGASA said floodwaters in Pangasinan province will continue to rise significantly on Friday as the San Roque dam increased the volume of water being released through its six gates.

PAGASA Administrator Prisco Nilo told ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda that as of 3 a.m. the dam was releasing 5,361 cubic meters per seconds (cms) of water.

View Northern Luzon Floods, October 2009 in a larger map

"The dam is releasing very big volumes of water and floodwaters are expected to rise," Nilo said, adding that the municipalities of San Manuel and Lingayen will severely feel the effects of the release of water.

Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. said that as of 2 a.m. Friday, there were already 30,000 people in evacuation centers in higher areas of the province. He said thousands more, particularly those living in the eastern part of the province, are trapped on the roof of their homes.

Espino said Pangasinan has literally become isolated with major bridges and roads connecting it to other provinces either submerged or destroyed by raging floods.

Raffy Baraan, provincial administrator of Pangasinan, said the province was already in a "very critical situation."

The two officials said almost 90 percent of the province or 30 towns and cities were already submerged in critical levels of floodwaters.

Baraan said municipalities in more critical situations were Umingan, Tayug, San Nicolas, Natividad, Sta. Maria, San Manuel, Balungao, Rosales, Bautista, Bayambang in eastern Pangasinan.

He said people in the central towns of the province -- San Fabian, Mangaldan, San Jacinto, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Manaoag -- are also in danger of being overwhelmed by floodwaters.

Imelda Guarin of Villasis town pleaded for help over ANC television on Friday morning. She said the town is covered by floodwaters and some residents who failed to evacuate were trapped inside their homes.

Guarin said floodwaters seemed to be rising as they received news that the dam was still releasing water. She said heavy rains continue to pour over the province.

She said she was with at least 19 more people trapped in their home.

Heavy rains continue

Baraan said that at around 8 a.m., the San Roque dam lowered the volume of water being released through its six gates. He said that from the 5,361 cms, the dam's water release was lowered to 3, 800 cms.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), meanwhile, said San Roque dam will indefinitely continue to release water as "heavy rains is still expected to persist in the upper reaches of the watershed within the next 6 hours."

PAGASA spokesperson Nathaniel Cruz told ANC's News@8 that they are expecting Pepeng's rains to ease as it moves away from the country.

As of 5 a.m., the storm was in the vicinity of Ilocos Sur or at 60 kilometers north northwest of Baguio City, packing weaker center winds of 55 kilometers per hour.

Cruz said if Pepeng continues its westward directoin, it will be out of the Philippine area of responsibility by late Sunday.

Signal No. 1 remained hoisted over Luzon provinces, including Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan.

Cruz explained that Pepeng's rains became heavy as its winds became weaker during its 2nd and 3rd landfall this week. He said storms with weaker winds tend to bring heavy volumes of rain.

The storm, which was feared as a supertyphoon, made its first landfall in Cagayan on Saturday. It maintained its position over the northern Luzon area as it was being pulled by another tropical disturbance and a high pressure area over the Pacific and Hong Kong.

Rescue coming

Butch Velasco, spokesperson of the Pangasinan provincial disaster coordinating council, said they have formed four task groups to launch rescue operations in the eastern, western, northern and southern parts of the province.

"Our rescuers will enter to all points to rescue trapped residents," Velasco said.

Baraan said he received reports that there were 1,000 families holed up in SM mall in Rosales town, which was drenched in one-story floodwaters.

Velasco said a joint rescue team from Tarlac province with an amphibian truck, at least 4 rubber boats, and 2 Red Cross rescue trucks were on their way to rescue those trapped at the mall.

The NDCC said in its 6 a.m. report that the number of people affected by Pepeng has reached over 1 million people with nearly 40,000 people inside 162 evacuation centers.

The agency has so far counted 4 people dead and 5 others missing in Pangasinan due to floods.

Isolated Baguio

An ABS-CBN News report said all major access roads to Baguio City have been closed as of Thursday evening due to landslides and floods.

The report said Kennon Road, Naguillan Highway, Marcos Highway, as well as, Ambuclao Road and another road connecting Baguio City and La Trinidad town in Benguet, have been closed due to several incidents of landslides.

The report added that floodwaters at the City Camp Lagoon have reached three-story high and nearly 10 landslides have been recorded overnight.

Citing records from the Office of Civil Defense in Cordillera region, the report said there were already 32 people confirmed dead and 35 others missing due to landslides.

Meanwhile, Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali has suspended classes in all levels in the province due to floods. He several municipalities were still submerged in high levels of floodwaters.