Howling winds uprooted many trees and carried away tin roofs of several houses while roads were littered with broken branches and debris as typhoon Glenda swirled into the province on Wednesday morning resulting in the death of one resident.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that a 49-year old man was crushed to death after a big acacia tree fell on his makeshift store in Barangay Tabang, Plaridel town at the height of the typhoon.
PDRRM executive officer Liz Mungcal said that prior to the incident, local disaster control officials have earlier told the victim Reynaldo Meneses, a vinegar vendor, to vacate the place and move to safer grounds.
But the victim refused, insisting he still needs to sell his merchandise.
Despite the casualty, the entire province was spared from devastation compared to previous storms where most parts of the province were inundated with floodwater.
“This typhoon is tame compared to previous typhoons that hit Bulacan,’ said PDRRM Council chairman, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado, who is personally supervising preparations and monitoring since Monday.
Alvarado said the typhoon was felt around 8 a.m. Wednesday as strong winds with moderate rains whizzed to the province before exiting towards Manila Bay heading to the Bataan Peninsula and to the West Philippine Sea.
“Typhoon Glenda crossed so fast. However, we are still monitoring the situation in the coastal villages, particularly in the towns of Obando, Bulakan, Malolos and Hagonoy,” he said.
The governor also disclosed that police and military teams equipped with rubber boats were dispatched to Obando town after reports said that some 100 families in the island village of Salambao were isolated due to powerful waves.
He said that earlier, some 100 families from Barangay Salambao have already been evacuated at the Obando National High School while some 83 families in the coastal villages of Malolos City were moved to the Atlag Elementary School and Calero Elementary School.
Except for floods caused by high tides in Obando, Hagonoy and parts of Meycauayan City, there was still no reports of severe flooding as of press time.
Alvarado also instructed the PDRRMO to closely monitor the water elevation at Ipo and Bustos dams.
“If they will release water they should first coordinate with us,” he said.
Despite the stormy weather, the water elevation at Angat dam was still way below its critical level of 180 meters.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the water level at Angat dam was 162.78 meters (spilling level 210 meters), while the water elevation at Ipo dam was recorded at 100.88 meters (spilling level 101 meters).
The water level at Bustos dam was at 16.48 meters (spilling level 17.70 meters).
Meanwhile, Bulacan acting police director Senior Supt. Ferdinand Divina reported to Gov. Alvarado that all major roads are still passable as of Wednesday noon.
