San Simon under state of calamity
SIMON - Despite the fair weather recently, the local government here has placed the whole municipality under a state of calamity due to rising floodwaters in majority of barangays.
The Sangguniang Bayan of San Simon approved Resolution No. 18-020 through a special session which declared the municipality under a state of calamity upon the recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
According to Councilor Archiebald Basilio, the continuous and uninterrupted rains brought about by several weather disturbances triggered flooding in several barangays here, especially along the riverside.
And despite the rising of the sun in the past days, Basilio said floodwaters continue to rise and has affected all the 14 barangays in the town due to the overflowing of Pampanga River and the descent of floodwaters from the upstream.
“During the rains, the barangays along the Quezon Road where the only ones affected but as of now, 13 of the 14 barangays are affected because those waters from higher places just start to go down to the low-lying areas,” Basilio explained.
Mayor Leonora Wong said that almost 2,000 families or about 5,000 individuals were already affected by the said flooding, and has also caused damage on the agriculture sector of this town.
“Our barangay officials have already submitted their situational reports and are ready to mobilize their calamity funds to provide assistance to affected residents. Our agriculture sector is already affected but we cannot provide yet the cost of damages because our Municipal Agriculture Office is still conducting an assessment,” she noted.
Aside from the assistance from the barangays, Wong said that the local government is also set to provide augmentation funding to help the thousands of flood victims in the town.
Meanwhile, Wong reminded all residents to always be careful and alert on the possible further rise of floodwaters and immediately evacuate to avoid any untoward incident.
“I understand that you are hesitant to leave your houses but please prioritize the safety of your family, especially children and women. Our evacuation centers are ready to accommodate you if the water reaches the alert level,” she told Simonians.
San Simon town is now the second municipality in Pampanga to declare a state of calamity following Masantol town which is still submerged in deep floods.