Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda confirmed that four houses along a dike were washed away by rushing floodwaters on Friday, August 28.

“Nagtaka kami, lalo na kanina, nabigla nalang, bigla talagang mayroong flash flood ‘yung tubig. ‘Yung apat nga ng bahay, ‘yung katabi ng dike, sabay-sabay silang nalaglag, kasi talagang ‘yung current ng tubig, sobra,” Pineda told the anchors on DZRH program Balansyado.

According to a report, the resident families of the collapsed houses were evacuated prior to the incident.

The Sta. Rita Dam, which had been holding off the floodwaters, had overflowed after its passageways were blocked up by fallen branches and small tree trunks, Pineda said.

She explained that most bodies of water in the province had overflowed or come close to doing so.

“Nagtaka kami, lalo na kanina, nabigla na lang, bigla talagang mayroong flash flood ‘yung tubig. ‘Yung (apat nga ng bahay,) ‘yung katabi ng dike, sabay-sabay silang nalaglag, kasi talagang ‘yung current ng tubig, sobra,” she said.

“Parang minsan, kala ko sabi ng PAGASA, ‘light and moderate’ na lang, pero parang bagyo,” she later added.

The hardest-hit areas in the province, Pineda said, include Macabebe, Masantol, and Candaba.

Candaba is the closest to Manila Bay, the “door” the rainfall runoff passes through before reaching the bay.