Photo courtesy of Pangasinan PDRRMO
More than 14,000 people have evacuated across Pangasinan as widespread flooding continues to affect the province, while authorities confirmed one death linked to the recent severe weather.
The Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said 4,306 families, equivalent to 14,011 individuals, had been displaced from 18 cities and municipalities.
Of the total, 11,560 people were staying in evacuation centers, 1,061 were sheltering with relatives or friends, while another 1,390 evacuees were recorded in Dagupan City.
The province also confirmed its first fatality from the ongoing weather disturbances. A 26-year-old man from Barangay Poblacion in Labrador died after being caught in a landslide on Aug. 29 while with co-workers in a mountainous area. His companions survived with minor injuries.
Flooding remained in at least 293 barangays across 17 municipalities and three cities as of Tuesday, according to the PDRRMO.
Pangasinan remained on red alert, with water search and rescue teams deployed for relief operations and Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis teams sent to priority areas.
Floodwaters and infrastructure damage also continued to disrupt transportation. Thirty-two barangay roads remained impassable, while four national roads in Mabini, Calasiao and Dagupan City could not be used. Six provincial roads in Mabini, Lingayen and Calasiao were inaccessible to light vehicles.
Agricultural damage from weather disturbances since Aug. 2 had reached an initial Php 649.2 million. Losses were also estimated at Php 2.1 million for livestock and Php 232.5 million for infrastructure.
Authorities recorded 17 houses completely destroyed and another 356 partially damaged.
Pangasinan has been under a state of calamity since Aug. 31 as response and damage assessment operations continue.