Monsoon rains submerge Botolan anew, cut link to South Zambales

by Allen Villa

Zambales (8 September) — Ninety percent of Botolan, Zambales is now submerged in floodwater as monsoon rains enhanced by the tailend of Typhoon Labuyo battered the whole province, doubling the effect of the onslaught of tropical storm Kiko that hit the town almost a month ago.

Latest report from the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) revealed that nonstop rains that started 12 noon yesterday brought floodwaters reaching as high as six feet damaging a total of 1,197 houses and displacing some 2,000 families.

The national highway along Barangay Carael linking South Zambales to the North was also closed to traffic anew as the approaches to the newly constructed steel bridge were damaged by strong currents of floodwaters expanding as wide as 5 kilometers and depth of 2 feet.

The Bailey Type Bridge had just undergone repairs yesterday to avoid further damage but raging waters destroyed even the “Gabion mattress” or concreted boulders the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had placed to reinforce the bridge’s shoulders, according to DPWH District Engineer Hercules Manlicmot.

Relief operations and emergency assistance by the PDCC, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Provincial Social Welfare and development Office (PSWDO), Philippine National Police Zambales Provincial Office (PNP-ZPO), and the 24th IB of the Philippine Army are on-going as of press time and is personally supervised by Governor Amor D. Deloso.

In an interview, Governor Deloso has announced his plan to call into a summit the Olongapo City Government and concerned national agencies to discuss massive dredging and desilting operations in the province to clear waterways and avoid aggravating the now escalating disaster. (PIA-Zambales)