LAOAG CITY — Some 12 families living in the low-lying area of Pragata village in Pasuquin town, Ilocos Norte province were evacuated on Friday morning due to flooding brought about by continuous heavy rainfall.
As a precautionary measure, Pasuquin Vice Mayor Pedro Rex Aguinaldo, along with police personnel, coast guard, firemen, health workers and village officials, urged the affected village residents, composed of 11 males and 23 females in sitio Bungro, to move to the Barangay Hall for their safety.
In Laoag, a search and rescue team, led by the city government, managed to save a man when he was trapped at the swelling Padsan River. Rescuers first tried to rescue him using a rope at the Gilbert bridge but failed due to strong current.
As he was taken by floodwaters, rescuers moved to the bypass bridge and waited for him there. They threw him a rope, instructed him to tie it in his body, and pulled him up to safety.
Meanwhile, the provincial government-run Batac fish farm in Barangay Billoca is now underwater, according to Provincial Fisheries and Regulatory Officer Arthur Valente. The farm contains tilapia stocks in cages and tanks.
“We have yet to assess the estimated cost of damages. The lost breeders shall be replenished,” Valente said. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
