Alcala Mayor Cristina Antonio disclosed that 24 of the 25 barangays in the municipality were flooded, including seven that were ‘’totally submerged.”
“Ang affected families na accounted for ay pumapalo sa 4,630, comprising of 12,731 individuals (Accounted affected families reached 4,630, comprising of 12,731 individuals),” Antonio reported.
Authorities estimated that the value of damage to livestock and crops in the municipality is nearing ₱52 million.
Antonio explained that what happened to them was a 100-year flood or flooding incident with a single percentage chance of occurring in a year.
“Sa Alcala, mula sa lawak ng Cagayan River na dumadaloy rito na 400 meters na width ay nagkakaroon ng constriction na nagiging 180 meters na lamang sa Brgy. Tupang all the way to Brgy. Magapit, Lal-lo. May bottleneck dito (In Alcala, the 400-meter width of the Cagayan River becomes constricted to 180 meters in Brgy. Tupang, all the way to Brgy. Magapit, Lal-lo. So there is bottleneck here),” she expounded.
“Ang ating bayan ng Alcala ay dito nagsasalubong ang dalawang ilog, ang ilog ng Carig from Sierra Madre at ang Cagayan River (The Carig River from Sierra Madre and Cagayan River meet in Alcala). Naturally, the water rises because of the meeting of these two rivers” she added.
The local chief executive said they have enough calamity funds in the municipality but may be depleted due to the gravity of the damage.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque who was in the town on Tuesday assured that they may request quick response funds from national government agencies to aid in its recovery. – Report from Kenneth Paciente
