Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda said she had implemented a preemptive, forced evacuation following a Red Rainfall Warning from the state weather bureau on Friday, August 28.

She said that the red alert status had come as a surprise to her.

“Sa kasalukuyan ngayon, ‘yung mga iba talaga na lubog na, pinapa-evacuate na namin para nga… naka-red (alert) kami ngayon, akala ko ‘light and moderate’ lang, tapos biglang nagsabi ‘yung PAGASA (na) red na kami,” she said during an interview on DZRH's Balansyado.

During the evacuation, Pineda said some of the better-off locals “adopted” or took in families who lived in smaller homes, for temporary shelter.

Earlier, she confirmed the report that four houses along a dike in Lubao had collapsed and been swept away by rushing floodwaters after Sta. Rita Dam overflowed.

According to a report, the families residing in these houses had already been evacuated prior to the incident.

The governor said the dam’s passageways had been stoppered by fallen branches and small tree trunks.

“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.

Moreover, most bodies of water in the province had overflowed or come close to doing so, she added.

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

As of Saturday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced an Orange Rainfall Warning for Pampanga, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Bataan, Zambales, and Tarlac.