Power outage hits 8 Bulacan villages after high-tide flood

BRACED In this photo taken on Saturday, braces have been installed to an electric post, one of 17 concrete poles in Calumpit, Bulacan, that have to be braced after they collapsed on Friday, when the ground where they were erected was softened by the heavy rain and seawater brought inland by the high tide. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

CALUMPIT, BULACAN—Eight villages in this town experienced power outage after 17 electric posts collapsed on Friday when high-tide flood, accompanied by heavy rains, weakened and softened the ground around them.

Enriquito DR. Santiago Jr., head of the Calumpit municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO), said on Saturday that residents in the villages of Bulusan, San Jose, Meyto, Panducot, Gugo, Calizon, Balungao and Santa Lucia lost electricity supply after the concrete posts of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) suddenly fell at around 4 p.m. amid moderate to heavy rains.

No one was hurt since the posts fell along vacant areas and rice field, Santiago said.

The concrete poles, which were erected along the Hagonoy-bound lane of the provincial road in Barangay Bulusan of Calumpit, had been earlier removed and relocated to some distance from the road to give way for the ongoing expansion and upgrading of the main thoroughfare.

Santiago told Inquirer that the seawater flood brought inland by the high tide, particularly the nearly 5-foot peak height experienced in recent days, soaked the grounds and weakened the soil.

Meralco personnel immediately restored the power supply in most of the affected areas as they continued to re-erect the posts on Saturday.

According to Santiago, the posts were put deeper into the ground to prevent them from falling again.

Rainy weekend

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has projected a rainy weekend in Bulacan and many other areas in Luzon and the Visayas due to a Low Pressure Area (LPA) and the southwest monsoon.

In a bulletin on Saturday morning, the state weather bureau said the LPA would cause heavy rainfall until Sunday afternoon in the provinces of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate in Luzon; and Northern Samar and Eastern Samar in Eastern Visayas.

Heavy rainfall is also expected on Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon in the same areas except Eastern Samar.

Rains will continue until Tuesday afternoon in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate.

According to the Pagasa, the southwest monsoon is expected to bring heavy to moderate rains in Zambales, Tarlac, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro and Palawan in Luzon; Antique and Negros Occidental in the Visayas; and Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao until Sunday afternoon.

Heavy to intense rainfall beginning Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon will be experienced in Palawan, Occidental Mindoro and Batangas, all in Luzon. The rains are expected to continue in these areas until Tuesday afternoon.