Hundreds moved to safe ground as floods hit Davao Norte, ComVal towns

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Philippines — Hundreds of families have been evacuated in two Southern Mindanao provinces due to flooding and the threat of landslide following days of heavy rains, authorities on Tuesday said.

At least 205 individuals were asked to leave their homes in an upland community in Talaingod town in Davao del Norte on Tuesday afternoon due to a high risk of landslide, said Romulo Tagalo,
provincial climate change and disaster management officer.

Two rivers in the province, Saug and Nanaga, were also being monitored due to rising water level, as light to moderate rains persisted late on Tuesday, Tagalo said.

In Compostela Valley, four villages have been flooded after heavy rains have been lashing the town of Pantukan, since Monday night, Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro, provincial police chief, said.
Some 244 families have fled Bongabong village, at least 18 from Tagdangua and an undetermined number from the villages of Upper Lahi and Magnaga around 8 p.m. on Monday, Ferro told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by mobile phone.

He said affected Bongabong residents sought shelter to Magapalway Elementary School, while those from other villages stayed in houses of relatives.

“There were no reported casualties or injuries,” said Ferro, adding that police and disaster officials have been checking if floodwaters have subsided.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued, on Tuesday afternoon, Alert Level 2 due to an increasing threat of landslide in Sitio (Sub-village) Mesolong, in Sto. Niño village, Talaingod.

Tagalo, the Davao del Norte disaster official, said the municipal disaster risk reduction management council (MDRRMC) held an emergency meeting in response to the state seismology bureau’s advisory, prompting the evacuation.

Due to incessant rains, water level in Saug River in Asuncion town was at 9.76 meters against its spilling level of 14.8, while water level monitors in Nanaga River in Talaingod recorded 44.17 meters, five meters shy of its spilling level of 49.40, as of Tuesday night.

Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario and the provincial disaster operation center have been monitoring the situation, Tagalo said.