LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Mayor Vicente Mendoza and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) inspected evacuation centers in Barangay Bucal Sur and Barangay Bucal Norte, Dinapigue, Isabela to ensure the safety of residents displaced by tropical cyclone “Paolo.’’
However, their plan to visit Barangay Ayod was canceled due to extreme weather conditions.
Local authorities remain focused on safeguarding affected communities amid the ongoing weather disturbance.
Three water search and rescue (WASAR) teams from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Public Safety Office (PSO) were deployed on Friday afternoon to the municipalities of Cabagan, Santa Maria, and Santo Tomas, Isabela to provide immediate assistance to flood-prone areas.
Five spillway gates of Magat Dam in Isabela are open with a total height of nine meters as of Friday due to continuous rains from Paolo. An additional spillway gate may be opened late in the afternoon.
The dam has a total outflow of 1,285.72 cubic meters per second of water to downstream river systems, the 3 p.m. update from the NIA-MARIIS Dam and Reservoir Division said.