Floods spawned by ‘Ramon’ affect 8,000 residents in Visayas areas

ILOILO CITY—At least 2,481 families or 8,375 people were affected by the floods in Western Visayas when Tropical Depression “Ramon” hit Western and Eastern Visayas on Wednesday, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

Worst hit was Capiz where the floods affected 6,821 residents, 2,640 of whom had to leave their homes when the water reached up to waist of an average person in Sigma, Ivisan, President Roxas and Mambusao towns as well as in Roxas City.

At least 325 people were also evacuated in Estancia town in northern Iloilo because of the floods following heavy rains spawned by Ramon.

The OCD report said the floods also affected 1,229 individuals in Capiz but they were not evacuated.

No fatalities were reported while one person, identified as Jorel Apaitan, was injured after he was struck by lightning in Ivisan town in Capiz.

Damage to agriculture and infrastructure was still being assessed by the Departments of Agriculture and Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas.

Larry Nacionales, Department of Agriculture director for Western Visayas, said in a telephone interview that damage to crops were expected to be confined to the towns of Panit-an, Sapian, Dumalag and Dumarao in Capiz.

He said most of the affected farmlands had just been planted for the second cropping and would not seriously affect the agricultural output of the region.

In Eastern Visayas, the OCD in Region 8 reported that while Ramon triggered landslides and floods, there was “zero casualty” because of the prompt response of the local officials and disaster councils.

Rey Gozon, OCD-8 acting director, said all disaster councils even at the barangay level had their own preventive measures, including massive information dissemination on what to do during the storm.

“Some local disaster councils conducted their own preemptive evacuation,” Gozon told INQUIRER.

He cited the case of Ormoc City in Leyte where the city government evacuated 14 families or 38 individuals from their homes in Barangay Liloan even before the water of Pagsangaan River rose to a dangerous level.

At least 1,110 passengers bound for Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao were stranded on Wednesday after several vessels in the ports of Southern Lyete, Samar and Northern Samar were not allowed to sail at the height of the tropical depression and on Thursday.

Ramon’s rains also triggered floods that destroyed a bridge in Barangay Lambinao, Malitbog town in Southern Leyte.

The Department of Public Works and Highways in Eastern Visayas also reported that the agency needed P1.5 million to clear the landslides in Barangays Pancho Villa, Kahupian and Ulisihan in Sogod town.

The amount would be used to purchase fuel for the heavy equipment for the clearing operations, said Engr. Alan Eway, maintenance chief of Southern Leyte Engineering District.  With reports from Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Felipe Celino, Joey A. Gabieta and Jani Arnaiz