Flash flood hit Lanao del Norte villages; more than 700 families affected

ILIGAN CITY — Some 30 families temporarily live in an evacuation center in Maigo town, Lanao del Norte, as of Tuesday after flash floods destroyed their homes on Monday evening (January 3).

According to Cris Amores, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, these families, accounting for 89 individuals in all, are staying at Barangay Balagatasa while they are still rebuilding their houses.

The flood affected some 721 families from the villages of Balagatasa, Labuay, and Poblacion, according to the count of the Army’s 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (MIB) which deployed soldiers for rescue operations on Monday evening.

In some areas, soldiers and police were ordered by local authorities to implement forced evacuation, said Maj. Victor Leopoldo, executive officer of the 5th MIB.

In all, Leopoldo said 281 families were rescued from Balagatasa, 270 from Labuay, and 170 from Poblacion.

Citing a police report, Leopoldo said a total of nine houses were destroyed while 19 were partially damaged. A fishing boat in Labuay was also damaged.

Yul Retuta, 49, a resident of Balagatasa, said floodwaters rose as high as six feet in their neighborhood and three feet in the national highway.

Apart from houses, the flood also damaged home appliances.