PILI, Camarines Sur (PIA)—More than 24 hours after the red alert status was hoisted over the province of Camarines Sur, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Chairman, Governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte issued a memorandum, suspending classes at all levels, as TD Paeng brought rains which caused immense flooding in most towns in Camarines Sur.

Work was suspended in all public offices and private agencies, including local government units, at noon today, as TD Paeng strengthened into a Tropical Storm (TS).

As of Thursday at 5:00 PM, 7,716 (41,675) evacuees from 32 of the province's 35 towns and 2 cities have temporarily sought shelter in various evacuation centers in the province. 

The town of Calabanga has the highest number of evacuees with 705 families (3,032 individuals), followed by the coastal town of Caramoan with 654 families (2,812 individuals and Cabusao, with 628 families (2,700 individuals).

As Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 was raised in Camarines Sur, 117 barangays in 28 municipalities experienced flooding. It affected 9,953 families/ 41,631 individuals based on the monitoring of PDRRMC. 

The towns of Libmanan, Minalabac, Milaor, San Fernando, Pamplona, Gainza, and Pasacao, all in the 2nd district have the most affected families.

The continuous heavy rains also caused landslides in other areas in the province.  Only one lane is passable in Brgy. Sta. Maria,  Presentacion due to a road slip in Sitio Ancolan.  Brgy. Pagsangaan road in the same municipality is also impassable due to a flashflood.

\Spillways in San Pedro Poblacion, Polantuna to Alanao, Poblacion to Barrera Jr., Napolidan, Colacling to Bulawan Jr., San Rafael to San Pedro, and Colacling all in the municipality of Lupi, are not passable.

Other spillways which are not passable due to the high floodwaters include Mansalaya-Kinalangan in Del Gallego; Macad spillway in Pasacao; Sto. Niño-Curry in Pili; Bahi spillway in Garchitorena; Terogo to Ilawod in Caramoan and Casuna to 

Tagas spillway in Tigaon; Sta. Elena-Baras in Nabua; Iyagan, Pugay, Sagrada, and Waras spillways in Baao; San Jose, Sta. Maria, and Sta. Teresita in Iriga City; and Sagrada in Bula, Camarines Sur.

As of press time, one lane is only passable along the Lagonoy-Presentacion road in Lagonoy and the Presentacion-Maligaya road in the municipality of Presentacion.

Twenty-six passengers are stranded in both ports of Pasacao and Tamban, in Tinambac, Camarines Sur.

The flood control structure at Brgy. Agaas and the Bamboo Bridge in Tabiguian in Caramoan were damaged due to the heavy flow of floodwater. {With reports from PDRRMC CamSur/EDMERO-PIA5/Camarines Sur)

(Cover photo credits: PDRRMC/EDMERO)