Rains wreak havoc in Mindanao regions

By SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent
and BING TENORIO
GSD-Bukidnon Bureau chief

MORE evacuations here and other Mindanao areas were reported yesterday as continuous rains caused rivers, lakes and creeks to swell and spawned floodings.

Bad weather made people edgy, prompting  some schools to call off classes. Here, many workers opted to stay home.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), declared a “level 3” or “red alert” in Bukidnon, Camiguin, Dinagat Island, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley.

Under “orange” warning level as of 1 pm yesterday were Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu and Cotabato City.

The capitol said some 147 people living near a river in Zone 5, Sihayon in Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental, had to be evacuated due to floodwaters.

Officials said villagers evacuated to the Sta. Cruz chapel after floodwaters started to submerge their communities.

The evacuees are being taken care of by a government disaster response team.

Continuous rains since Wednesday and intermittent rains yesterday made the Tagoloan river’s water level shoot up to as high as 5.2 meters above sea level as of 3 pm.

Josefino Bascug, the capitol’s environmental expert, said he feared that the water level would further rise later in the day when rainwater from Maaybalay, Bukidnon reaches the Tagoloan river basin.

Bascug said he feared a repeat of the Typhoon Agaton incident when the river’s water level rose to 9.7 meters above sea level.

The bad news is, the region could see the same bad weather conditions until Sunday, said Bascug.

Misamis Oriental Vice Gov. Jose Mari Pelaez said the provincial board would likely declare the province under a state of calamity today.

Pelaez said he was still waiting for the capitol’s departments to submit a request.

In eastern Misamis Oriental, local officials declared Medina town under a state of calamity.

In Bukidnon, at least a dozen villages in two towns and the province’s component city of Valencia were adversely affected due to floodings.

In a report to Bukidnon Gov. Jose Ma. Zubiri, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department chief Maria Leah Barquez said floods affected some 246 residents in the Valencia City villages of Catumbalon, Maapag, Pinatilan, Batangan, Lumbo, Poblacion, Kahaponon, San Isidro, Sinabuagan and Lumbayao.

Valencia Mayor Azucena Huervas held a meeting with the city’s disaster risk reduction management officials. She then sought a city council declaration if a state of calamity in the city.

Valencia officials counted 1,022 families in 12 barangays affected. They said 4,118 people evacuated to safer grounds as of yesterday afternoon.

Officials said the water level of Pulangui River rose to as high as 15 meters above sea level and subsequently receded to eight meters.

Floodings also adversely affected the villages of Halapitan in San Fernando town and Sayawan in Impasug-ong town, Barquez said.

There was an incident of drowning in Impasug-ong early this week.

Barquez said the floods affected some 129 families in Bukidnon.

There were reports that a bridge in Queson town, Bukidnon became impassable yesterday due to floodwaters.

Meanwhile, the Caraga region was placed under red alert status because of the incessant heavy rains, flooding several communities, according to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

RDRRMC chairperson Rosauro Arnel Gonzales Jr.,  said the rains were due to the tailend of a cold front affecting the region.

The Office of the Civil Defense in Caraga said the areas affected by the floods are Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte. In Surigao City, rains have continued to pour and authorities declared Alert Level 2 on Wednesday.

In Surigao City, rains have continued to pour since Wednesday.

Residents situated in areas prone to flood and landslides have been evacuated.

Floods have been reportedly recurring in Villa Corito, San Juan and Washington villages, including in some streets in Surigao City.

In Mainit town in Surigao del Norte, several residents living around Lake Mainit have been displaced due to the rising water level.

Mainit resident JM Libarnes said water in the lake has risen to road level. “Low-lying villages of the town have been flooded,” he said.

The Department of Science and Technology’s ClimateX website, which gathers data on rainfall all over the country, shows that the Caraga is the area most affected by the rains as of Thursday afternoon.

Dinagat Island, in particular, has rainfall readings way higher than most areas. Highest rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours was in the municipality of Libjo at 339 mm, followed by Cagdianao at 330 mm.

In its advisory this morning the Dinagat Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported moderate to heavy rains for the past 12 hours.

“Grabe ang ulan diri sa Dinagat Island. We are still monitoring possible landslides,” said Angela Elago, a staff member in the office of Rep. Arlene Bag-ao.

In Butuan City, 610 individuals have been evacuated from the villages of Golden Ribbon and Agao and now sheltering at the Agusan del Norte National High School as of 10 am.

At 11 am., water level at the Agusan River has been recorded at 2.52 meters above normal.

Butuan Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada suspended classes from preschool to high school.

The town of Loreto in Agusan del Sur has been placed under a state of calamity, according to municipal councilor Ricky Angwas.

He said seven houses were swept away by floods. Rescue operations have been ongoing in affected areas.

In Rosario town in Agusan del Sur, 1,317 individuals have been affected by the floods in Barangays Sta. Cruz, Cabawan, Tagbayagan, Libuac and Cabantao as of 11 am, according to Bryan Galaraga, a radio reporter.

The towns of Veruela and La Paz are also reportedly among the municipalities of Agusan del Sur affected by the floods.

In Siargao Island, people experienced heavy rains and strong winds last night. “I thought there was a tornado because the rain and the wind were so strong,” said Marlon Coro, a councilor in Dapa town.

Reports said that in Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte, 300 families have already evacuated. Meanwhile, boat trips between Butuan City and Magallanes town also in Agusan del Norte have been cancelled due to strong currents. (with roel catoto of mindanews)