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Pangasinan no casualty from ‘Yoyong’

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan (Dec. 3)—In what seemed to be an overnight ordeal, Pangasinenses woke up on Friday with a sigh of relief as super typhoon “Yoyong” left the province with no less than bent trees and scattered garbage along major thoroughfares.

Agno River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center based in Rosales town, a branch of PAGASA weather bureau, stated in a flood bulletin that average rainfall reached to 84 millimeters (mm). Rainfall recorded in various points showed 124 mm in Binga dam, 141 in Mt. Ampucao, 49 inches in San Roque Dam area, 47 mm in Sta. Barbara, 67 mm in Carmen, and 66 mm in Wawa.

Water level reached its peak to six meters from 11 to 12 p.m. along the banks of Binga dam. However, this did not prompt lower dams such as the San Roque Dam to open a gate. It can be recalled that during the past typhoons, floods were mainly attributed to the operation of San Roque Dam, as expressed by Urdaneta Mayor Amadeo Perez.

Engr. Arthuro Ladislao, a weather bureau officer, said that the gradual rise of the two major river systems traversing the province, Sinocalan and Agno River, were declared at a threatening level. Sinocalan and Tagamusing allied rivers, serving as catch basins of excess waters coming from Mt. Ampucao whenever there were typhoons, did not manifest an alarming level particularly to the usual casualty-stricken areas of Sta. Barbara, Calasiao, Binmaley, Binalonan, Urdaneta, and Dagupan.

Ladislao said that unlike other typhoons, Yoyong did not leave heavy rains as its tail-end.

Cause-oriented groups such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)–Pangasinan are holding a People’s Summit on December 11 to tackle issues which include the recurrent flooding it believes was primarily caused by the San Roque Dam. # Jong dela Cruz for NORDIS

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