By Emil G. Gamos
MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, (PNA)-—As sunny weather began to prevail in many parts of the province, government teams and linemen of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Sunday started the repair and cleaning operations in the flood hit town of San Miguel which was engulfed by rampaging floods at the height of the onslaught of typhoon Santi.
Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado said that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Mangement Office (PDRRMO) is also closely monitoring floodwaters receeding from the neighboring provinces of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija which is cascading downward the perennial catch basin coastal towns of Calumpit and Hagonoy.
The governor is also constantly coordinating with operators of the three big dams in Bulacan namely Angat, Ipo and Bustos on the preemptive and coordinated release of waters from their reservoirs.
Bustos dam opened two wash out gates 8 a.m. Sunday and discharged a total of 156.0 cubic meters per second of water.
The water elevation at the said three dams are still in normal level.
The water level at Angat dam as of 8 a.m. Sunday was 207.16 meters, still way below its spilling level of 210 meters.
In Ipo dam, the water elevation was 100.65 meters (spilling level 101 meters) while the water level at Bustos dam was 16.92 meters (spilling level 17.70 meters).
Alvarado also said that the PDRRMO has advised municipal and city health offices to start the distribution of prophylaxes against leptospirosis in flooded areas as well as conduct initial assessment on health situation in the province.
He said that the Provincial Health Office (PHO) has also distributed 677 oral prophylaxes to different response teams, provincial government offices and Bulacan Rescue, Balagtas & San Miguel Municipal Health Offices.
The governor added that relief and medical missions are now being conducted by personnel of the PHO and Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
PDRRM ececutive officer Liz Mungcal said that as of 10 a.m. Sunday, major lifelines (electricity and water supply) in San Miguel were still inoperational.
She said that as of presstime, MERALCO teams deployed in San Miguel were conducting repair of powerlines.
Firetrucks also proceeded to San Miguel for augmentation to non-potable water requirements.
Mungcal said that the PDRRMO is coordinating with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the distribution of potable water.
Damages in agriculture and infrastructures were still being assessed, Mungcal added