Thousands affected by floods in Davao City

Teams from the city government, including the city social welfare and development office and the city disaster risk reduction and management office (CDRRMO) served hot meals to residents temporarily taking shelter at the evacuation sites in Matina Crossing, Matina Aplaya and Matina Pangi at the height of flooding on January 4. Except for five families who lost their homes, residents have already returned home after the water subsided. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF DAVAO

DAVAO CITY — Some 617 families or 2,211 persons have been affected by floods when moderate to heavy rains in the city’s upstream areas led to the swelling of the city’s river systems at 6:41 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, submerging some portion of at least five city barangays.

The report of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday, said the affected families came from Matina Pangi, Matina Crossing, and Matina Aplaya villages which were flooded after the moderate to heavy rainfall caused by localized thunderstorms affecting the Davao region led to the swelling of the Davao, Talomo, Licanan and Bunawan rivers and submerging surrounding low lying areas.

Retired Police Col. Alfred Baloran, CDRRMO chief, said the heavy rainfall caused by the localized thunderstorms had affected the Matina area’s tributaries which caused Saturday’s flooding.

Of those affected, 415 families (,338 individuals), were in Matina Crossing; 132 families (681 individuals)  in Matina Pangi; and 70 (192 individuals) in Matina Aplaya.

Teams from the city government, including the city social welfare and development office and the city disaster risk reduction and management office (CDRRMO) served hot meals to residents temporarily taking shelter at the evacuation sites in Matina Crossing, Matina Aplaya and Matina Pangi at the height of flooding on January 4. Except for five families who lost their homes, residents have already returned home after the water subsided. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF DAVAO

The water level also rose up to knee-high in the city barangays of San Isidro and Bunawan, though there were no reports of affected families in these areas, so far.

Except for five families in Barangay Matina Pangi whose houses were swept away by flood waters, all families have returned home, according to the OCD report signed by Franz Irag, chief of the OCD operations section.

OCD reported five totally damaged houses and 15 partially damaged ones.

At least six families or 29 persons temporarily took refuge in evacuation centers while five families or 18 persons sought shelter in their neighbors’ houses at the height of the flooding.

The city government implemented preemptive evacuations in the affected barangays as river monitoring reported an impending rise of water levels.

Baloran said the families in the Matina area voluntarily went to the evacuation areas and returned to their respective homes when the flood water subsided.

He also advised people living in low-lying areas in the city to be prepared for evacuation.

On Monday, the city government continued to give aid to affected flood victims.

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