Flood washes out 42 houses in village

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

BUTUAN City–Floodwaters washed away 42 of 46 houses in a community in Barangay Angeles, La Paz in Agusan del Sur on Thursday.

This as flashfloods hit 13 barangays in the area resulting from a rise in the water level of Agusan River as a result of days heavy downpours.

Some 84 families in Barangay Angeles were displaced, according to Cydric Cumba, the local disaster risk reduction management office head.

The Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said a person died while another one was declared missing as a result of the floods.

The Council said 5,200 families or some 22,986 people had to evacuate to safer grounds due to the floods in Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and this city.

But Mindanews, quoting the Office of the Civil Defense, reported that nearly 2,000 families in three provinces in the Caraga have evacuated because of the heavy rains that triggered floods.

In a statement issued at 6 pm Thursday, OCD said 1,829 families or 8, 211 individuals from Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte left their homes for safety and were in different evacuation centers in the region.

The town of Loreto in Agusan del Sur has the most evacuees at 3,140.

In Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte, at least 1,415 individuals left their homes while 1,302 residents of Butuan City sought shelter elsewhere for their safety.

The town of Jabonga in Agusan del Norte has 1,193 evacuees, while the municipalities of Tubay and Remedios T. Romualdez have a combined number of 318 evacuees.

The town of Mainit in Surigao del Norte, meanwhile, has 746 individuals who were relocated due to the flooding.

Aside from the Caraga provinces, areas included in the orange warning level are Bukidnon and Camiguin. (with roel n catoto of mindanews)