SAMAL, Bataan – At least 45 families or more than 85 individuals were rescued as deep floods caused by intermittent moderate to heavy rains submerged two villages in the province on Sunday, July 25.
A report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) on Monday showed Barangay San Juan here was inundated by five to six feet of floodwater while Barangay Almacen in Hermosa town went under more than four-foot-deep water.
No evacuation was conducted in Almacen where residents are accustomed to floods and used boats in going in and out of the village.
However, some 45 families residing in Sunshine Village in Barangay San Juan were rescued and temporarily housed in several classrooms at the Samal North Elementary School.
“Lumikas kami dahil sa sobrang laki ng tubig. Hanggang leeg, sa iba lampas-tao ang lalim ng tubig na bigla lang lumaki (We evacuated because of the high level of floodwater. Up to neck deep while to others, the water level was beyond a person’s height),” Danilo Esconde, one of the evacuees, said in an interview.
He said floodwaters started to rise at 9 a.m. and they were evacuated at 2 p.m.
“Madalas kaming bahain pero hindi ganito kalalim (We had always been affected by flood but not as deep as this one),” he said.
The evacuees said they have resided in the village for 16 to 28 years.
Esconde and the others said they need food and blankets, especially for the children.
Another resident, Brenda Rabago, said they also need bread, beddings, drinking water and diaper and milk for toddlers.
San Juan barangay chairman Francisco Valenzuela said the flood that hit the village was five to six-foot deep.
He said Sunshine Village, which is a relocation site for informal settlers, is near a creek, the reason it easily gets flooded during high tide and heavy rains.