Tandag City river swells, flooding hundreds of homes

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur — The Tandag River, which snakes through the city’s urban center from its hinterlands, swelled amid the onslaught of heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Auring.

The rains began just before the crack of dawn on Sunday and continued beyond noon time.

Flood waters in communities outlying the river’s downstream portion were neck-deep, sending hundreds of families fleeing to safety in evacuation centers.

The flood waters were at least knee-deep in the communities with higher elevation.

The rampaging flood brought down a huge volume of debris, including logs, that were piling up on a bridge towards the mouth of the river.

In Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office advised motorists that the portion of the national highway between the villages of Colorado and Magsaysay are not passable especially for light vehicles.

As of noon time, flood waters have almost engulfed the national highway toward the interior San Miguel town in Surigao del Sur.

The Inquirer has also monitored flooding and landslides in the towns of Lanuza and Marihatag, Surigao del Sur.

In Marihatag, residents said that at the height of strong winds mid-morning of Sunday, Feb. 21, a storm surge pushed water from the sea into some parts of the town center.

JE