NAGA CITY, Philippines—More than 300 families were evacuated Thursday morning when heavy rains caused flooding in Sipocot, Camarines Sur, according to the Sipocot Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC).

Sipocot Mayor Maria Theresa Dela Peña said the rains started late Wednesday night until early morning Thursday, causing floodwaters to rise about five feet.

Dela Peña said the villages affected were Malubago and South Centro in Sipocot town.

In Barangay Bulao Balite, in the same town, a landslide covered and destroyed two houses.

Dela Peña said no casualties were reported but the number of evacuees were still increasing.

She said the MDCC had already mobilized its resources and had taken more residents in the affected area to the evacuation center in the Sipocot North Central School.

Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. said the provincial government had also responded to the unexpected flooding and sent two truckloads of relief goods to the evacuation center as assistance.

Fred Consulta, staff member of the Bicol River Basin Flood Monitoring, said the run-off water came from the mountains surrounding the town and emptied into the Sipocot River.

Consulta said they had monitored an average of 50 milliliters of rainfall the past five hours brought about by the convergence of wind and northeast monsoon.

Help was also on the way for the heavily devastated town of Paracale in Camarines Norte and other parts of the region that suffered Typhoon “Santi's” wrath, the Bicol Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) said Wednesday afternoon.

Navy Lt. Darwin Nieva, RDCC acting regional public information officer, said an RDCC team and joint elements of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force in the region went Wednesday to Camarines Norte to oversee the relief and rehabilitation at the most affected areas hit by Santi last weekend.

Nieva said the residents suffered property loss, including vital infrastructure, and 11 persons died due to drowning and hypothermia in the flashfloods wrought by Santi’s six-hour nonstop rains.

The team, which was able to respond as the weather started to clear up, was joined by Navy doctors and engineers to help the Camarines Norte PDCC provide immediate medical and rehabilitation needs.

A total of 60 sacks of rice were brought to Calaguas Island and Vinzons town at the mainland north of Daet capital town.

Several private foundations were also preparing for their contribution to the relief effort for some 100 families at Jose Panganiban town.