Families evacuated from flood-hit areas in Tarlac

After heavy rains caused flooding in the area, several families were evacuated from a town in Tarlac province, hometown of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported that ocal authorities tried to convince the families to leave their homes and seek safer ground. The report said local authorities tried to tap vehicles including bancas and kuliglig (motorized tricycles) to ferry the families to shelters. The initial reports indicated that floods in some parts of the town were waist-high. La Paz town Mayor Michael Manuel said the families had been brought to at least two evacuation centers as of Thursday morning. However, many of the residents refused to leave their homes, saying they were used to such situations. As of Thursday morning, San Roque village in the town had been isolated due to the floods. La Paz is a fourth-class town with a population of 61,324 people in 10,361 households. –VVP, GMANews.TV