Apalit town spared from major flooding

APALIT - While its surrounding municipalities are all under state of calamity, the local government here maintained that the effects of the onslaught of typhoons “Inday” and “Josie” and the southwest monsoon remain manageable for Apalit.

Mayor Peter Nucom of this town said that a declaration of state of calamity is not necessary for Apalit since flooding and its effects were still under control based on the assessment of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Nucom disclosed that only four among the 12 barangays here were affected by flooding, two of which are located along the river bank while the other half are classified as low-lying villages.

He added that the town’s major and internal thoroughfares were also spared from flooding and remained passable to all types of vehicles, even during heavy downpours.

“When you declare a state of calamity, that means the area is badly and severely hit, or maybe devastated with the effects of heavy rains, but that is not the case in our town. Although we felt the heavy rains, its effects such as flooding did not linger so far,” he said.

Nucom furthered that he is also set to visit anew the residents who were transferred to evacuation centers for pre-emptive purposes to check if they can already return to their respective houses.

As of yesterday, at least 59 families were still staying in Sampaga Elementary School and Bahay Pagbabago building in Sulipan Fishport, Nucom said.

“We are monitoring if they can already go home but as of the latest report, the water level at the Pampanga River is still equal to the surface level of the houses in Barangay San Vicente but we are hoping that later this afternoon, it will subside and our kabalens can already go back to their normal lives,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Nucom said that all residents affected by floods were already given relief packs by the local government and its partners from the private sector such as the Manny V. Pangilinan Group of Companies.