Mindanao braces for floods
A woman cleans some plastic stools even though floodwaters have not yet completely receded in their neighborhood, situated near a small river in Barangay Camilmil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro a few days after Typhoon Nona hit Mindoro province. LYN RILLON
Heavy rains and floods may be expected this weekend not only in Mindanao due to Tropical Depression “Onyok” but also in provinces in central Philippines devastated by Typhoon “Nona” (international name: Melor), the state weather bureau said on Friday.
More than 100,000 people were evacuated in parts of Mindanao as local authorities prepared for the arrival of Onyok.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) urged preemptive evacuation in the Caraga region as Onyok bore down on eastern Mindanao on Friday.
Onyok was expected to weaken into a low pressure area after it made landfall in Manay town, Davao Oriental, Friday night, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
Still, it would bring widespread moderate to heavy rains over eastern, northern and central Mindanao during the weekend, the weather bureau said.
Pagasa placed 17 provinces under the lowest public storm warning signal while it lifted the warning in six other provinces hit by Typhoon Nona earlier in the week.
Placed under warning signal No. 1 were Surigao del Sur (including Siargao island), Surigao del Norte, Dinagat province, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Davao del Sur, Maguindanao and North Cotabato.
Get out now
The NDRRMC said 100,949 people were evacuated in the Caraga region and other parts of Mindanao.
Gov. Arturo Uy ordered school classes suspended in Compostela Valley and preemptive evacuations, including landslide-prone gold mining areas.
NDRRMC chief Alexander Pama called on gold miners working in Compostela Valley leave the pits before Onyok hit land, as heavy rains could trigger landslides and flash floods.
He also appealed to residents of the other areas threatened by Onyok to move to evacuation centers ahead of the rains.
“We want to avoid a repeat of Sendong in 2011, which had weak winds but brought heavy rains and which struck at night,” Pama said.
Local officials in Tudela town in Misamis Occidental province also ordered the evacuation of residents of the landslide-prone Gala village in anticipation of the onslaught of Onyok.
Skies had been cloudy in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental since Friday as Onyok headed for land.
Mahar Lagmay, chief of hazard assessment at the Department of Science and Technology, said 237 towns in Mindanao and 83 towns in Luzon may experience heavy rains, which may trigger flash floods and landslides.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it was ready to respond to emergencies, with P676 million in standby funds, 199,295 relief packs and P115.1 million in food and other goods for evacuees.
Rains in other regions
Pagasa warned that the Bicol region will also have moderate to heavy rains during the weekend, threatening more floods and landslides, and hampering relief efforts after the destruction caused by Nona.
Eastern Visayas as well as Quezon province in eastern Luzon will also have moderate to heavy rains, which may trigger more flash floods and landslides.
Pagasa said the heavy rains in Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Quezon were due to the surge of the northeast monsoon and the tail end of a cold front.
The surge also caused rough seas off northern, eastern and western Luzon and the eastern seaboard of the Visayas, Pagasa said.
The bureau warned small seacraft against venturing out into sea in those areas.
Sailings banned
The Philippine Coast Guard banned sailing to Mindanao because of rough seas.
The intense rains that submerged Central Luzon on Thursday have eased. Pagasa said the region will have light to moderate rains over the weekend. With reports from Marjorie T. Sia, trainee; Frinston Lim, Nico Alconaba and Ryan Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao
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