Hundreds evacuated as rains pound Mindanao provinces

TAGUM CITY, Philippines—Hundreds of residents were moved to safer ground as rain continued to pound Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte due to Tropical Depression Zoraida on Tuesday, authorities said.

The pre-emptive evacuation proved helpful especially in a mining village in the municipality of Monkayo in Compostela Valley as no one was reported hurt or missing after a landslide occurred there around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, said Senior Superintendent Camilo Cascolan, the provincial police chief.

A total of 174 families or about 760 people heeded calls by local authorities to evacuate in the towns of Monkayo, Nabunturan and New Bataan, as rains that began pouring Monday night threatened to swell rivers and flood low-lying communities, said Fe Maestre, Compostela Valley information officer.

“We’re still checking,” Cascolan replied when asked if the Mt. Diwata landslide had covered any homes. “But there were no casualties as people in the area had fled beforehand.”

Of the total number of evacuees, 55 families were from Monkayo, 31 from the capital town of Nabunturan while 80 families were from New Bataan town, the police official said.

In Davao del Norte, dozens of families had also been evacuated in Tagum City as well as in the municipalities of Kapalong and Asuncion due to the swelling of major rivers.

In Davao Oriental, Governor Corazon Malanyaon ordered the evacuation of residents living near river banks, along the coast and in landslide-prone areas as the province braced for Zoraida’s landfall in Caraga town before noon Tuesday.

Malanyaon said she alerted all local government units as well as search-and-rescue units, particularly in the eastern towns of Cateel, Manay, Caraga and Baganga.