Flooding isolates Zambales village amid bridge collapse

A village in Zambales remained isolated for a second consecutive day after continuous monsoon rains caused rivers to swell and sweep away a key access bridge, local authorities said.

High water levels and strong currents along the Santa Fe and Santo Tomas rivers — driven by the southwest monsoon — have cut off access to the community, according to Mayor Elvis Ragadio Soria.

Soria said the bridge collapse on 9 August eliminated the primary entry point to the north side of the Santa Fe River, leaving residents stranded.

Local government officials, alongside the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Philippine National Police, conducted assessment operations to identify alternative routes for relief distribution.

The local disaster council reported that prepositioned relief goods are sufficient to cover the basic needs of the affected residents for four days.

Flooding has affected 55 families, totaling 119 individuals, primarily in the low-lying areas of Santa Fe. As of reporting, no formal evacuation centers have been opened in the village.

To bypass the destroyed bridge and raging waters, response teams are evaluating installing a zipline system once they reach Santa Fe proper to transport food, drinking water, medicine and other essentials across the river.

“Continuous monitoring, assessment, and coordination are ongoing among local government units and response teams to ensure the safety of residents and immediately address their basic needs while the effects of the enhanced monsoon persist,” Soria said.