Thousands displaced as Dante hits Butuan city, Agusan del Norte

By Erwin M. Mascariñas
Correspondent

BUTUAN City — Around 1,300 families or 4,100 individuals were displaced from their homes as floodwaters swept through several villages here and parts of Agusan del Norte province after heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Dante hit Caraga Region on Tuesday.

Assessment from the local disaster risk reduction management office points out that floodwater started to rise early Tuesday morning, June 1, as rain poured the entire Monday evening.

Based on the monitoring report from different towns and cities in the province, a total of 1,323 families or 4,146 individuals are displaced and a majority of them spent an evening in their respective evacuation centers.

“We opened the rooms for evacuation at around 7:40 in the morning, but some families were already here, waiting for the rooms to open at around 6 AM to 7 AM,” said Maricris Cabal, a senior high school teacher, and Taskforce of Disaster Risk Reduction Management of Los Angeles Integrated Senior High School in Butuan City.

She pointed out that around 1,732 individuals or 551 families are temporarily sheltered in the classrooms which were turned into evacuation centers as of Tuesday, 4 PM.

In Los Angeles Elementary School, 18 rooms were occupied by 294 individuals or 66 families.

Ruth Gardiola, 20 years old, mother of a 10-month-old baby left their home in Purok 1, Los Angeles immediately when the floodwaters started to rise.

“I only brought the formula milk of my baby. We left the house around 7 in the morning when the floodwater level was already above our knees.” Gardiola stated.

Gardiola added that it was their first time to evacuate as floodwaters in the past years were not that high compared to now.

In the municipality of Jabonga, the local government reported 341 families or 1,087 individuals who are now taking shelters in designated evacuation centers, private houses, and health stations in the municipality.

In the town of Remedios T. Romualdez (RTR), the multi-purpose building located in Barangay Poblacion was crowded by thousands of individuals.

Based on the RTR monitoring report of evacuees, 1033 residents or 270 families are staying in the building for the meantime.

Cabadbaran City and municipality of Tubay also reported a total of 80 and 15 families displaced, respectively.

As of June 2, the majority of the evacuees have returned to their respective houses, the local government has yet to make their final assessment on the damage to property and to crops as 80% of the areas hit by the floods were farms and rice fields.