‘Auring’ forces 236 families to evacuate

By BEN SERRANO,
LITO RULONA and
NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

BAD weather forced officials to suspend classes in Caraga and parts of northern Mindanao even as hundreds of families evacuated to safer grounds as bodies of water swelled following continuous rains brought about by tropical depression “Auring.”

Butuan city was among the most badly hit areas. There, at least 236 families were forced to evacuate due to threats of floodings and landslides. The evacuees come from from barangays Buhangin, Bobon, Pangabugan, Golden Ribbon and Baan KM 3 in Butuan. They evacuated to the Agusan National High School, Sibayan Elementary School and Butuan Central Elementary School and barangay covered courts as of Sunday.

Preemptive evacuations were also reported in barangays Mahogany, Baan Riverside, Banza, and Maug even before Auring made landfall in Caraga.

A water crisis gripped Butuan as the rising water level and turbidity at the Taguibo watershed crippled facilities of the Butuan City Water District (BCWD) facilities at Sitio Iyao in Barangay Anticala, Butuan over the weekend.

The water district resorted to water rationing.

The local government sent food aid to the evacuees.

Landslides were reported in barangays Sumile, Anticala and Tungao.

Some areas became impassable like the Lemon Pigdaulan Road.

Portions of roads in barangays Tiniwisan Lemon Pigdaulan and Upagan were also flooded.

Classes in the five provinces in Caraga were suspended in all levels due to the continuous rains except for Surigao del Norte that limited it to pre-school and elementary levels only.

Kindergarten, pre-school and elementary classes were also suspended yesterday in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.

Fernando Dy Jr., Misamis Oriental Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive officer, said Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano asked provincial schools superintendent Cherry Limbaco to suspend classes after the Provincial School Board met over the weekend.

The disaster risk reduction and management groups in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro set a “zero casualty” record over the weekend, said Dy and his Cagayan de Oro counterpart Alan Porcadilla.

But Dy said there were landslides in Barangay Mahayahay in Magsaysay town, Balingoan, Claveria and Jasaan towns last weekend as a result of the continuous rains. Dy said the road mantenance group of the capitol immediately reponded and cleared the roads.

Dy and Porcadilla  said there was no evacuation in Misamis Oriental and the city.

“Wala man mosaka ang tubig sa atong mga suba kay hinay ra man pod ang ulan sa bagyong Auring, mao nga   wala nalang pud ta magpa-evacuate,” said Porcadilla.

The Coast Guard meanwhile said about a thousand passengers bound to Camiguin province were stranded at the Balingoan port.

The Coast Guard counted some 8,767 passengers stranded due to the bad weather. Travel was was suspended for 463 rolling cargoes, 173 vessels and 60 motor bancas in various parts of Mindanao and Visayas.

The Coast Guard said 2,850 passengers, 112 rolling cargoes, 57 vessels and 15 motor bancas were stranded in Caraga and northern Mindanao, and some 3,438 passengers, 85 rolling cargoes, 87 vessels and 25 motor bancas were stranded in Central Visayas. In Western Visayas, 1,268 passengers were stranded as 108 rolling cargoes, 24 vessels and 19 motor bancas were not allowed to travel.

Meanwhile, 1,211 passengers, 158 rolling cargoes, five vessels and a motor banca were stranded in Eastern Visayas.

Here in Cagayan de Oro, education officials suspended classes in all pre-school and kindergarten levels.

Teodoro Sabugaa, city social welfare and development officer, said the weather improved yesterday, prompting city hall to lift the “yellow alert” status. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) lifted the public storm warning signal no. 1 in Misamis Oriental, including Cagayan de Oro.

Pagasa raised Signal no. 1 over Camiguin, Cuyo Island, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Provinces, Southern Leyte, Cebu including Camotes Island, Guimaras, Capiz, Iloilo and southern part of Antique.

“Medyo late na ang lifting sa public storm signal ang Pagasa and then naka-issue na og cancellation of classes ang Deped (Department of Education),” Sabugaa explained.

But Sabugaa said disaster risk reduction and management councils should continue to monitor the situation.

Despite three days of continuous rains, Sabugaa said the water levels of Cagayan River and other bodies of water remained normal.

Virgil Lago of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department said no landslide or flashflood was reported in the city despite the bad weather over the weekend. (with reports from pna)