Some Loboc residents walk through flooded streets to keep up their daily routine. (Photo by LEO UDTOHAN / Inquirer Visayas)
LOBOC, Bohol — Macario Berenguer had been suffering from asthma days before the New Year’s Day..
But the 77-year-old resident of Barangay Valladolid here decided to move to an evacuation center because of the floods spawned by Tropical Dtorm “Agaton.”
His 61-year-old wife, Aquilina, said rescuers helped them carry Macario and his oxygen tank to the evacuation center.
“The water level had gone up and we were the only ones left in the village,” she told the Inquirer.
The Berenguer family were one of the 25 families, composed of 126 individuals, who evacuated their homes about 10 a.m. on Monday after the Loboc River overflowed due to incessant rain.
They were evacuated to Camaya-an High School.
By Tuesday morning, the water level in the town’s Poblacion Ondol had risen waist-high, making the streets impassable to vehicles.
But some residents waded through the flood to continue their daily activities.
Liza Dalagan tried to cross the heavily-flooded highway in Barangay Ondol to give the medicine for her husband, Danilo, 52, who also had an asthma attack.
The 31-year-old Liza came all way from the neighboring Bilar town to bring the medicine to Danilo, a driver of the bus used by the Loboc Youth Ambassador Band.
Some houses in Barangays Villaflor and Jimilian were also submerged.
When the water rushed into her house, Marites Jala, 43-year-old resident of Barangay Villaflor, moved most of their belongings to the second floor.
Still, many residents preferred to stay since they noticed that there was no sudden rise in the water level.
Operations of Loboc Riverwatch Floating Resto, the Rio Verde Floating Resto, and the Village Floating Resto and Cruises were canceled on Tuesday due to strong currents of Loboc River.
The worst flooding experienced by Loboc was in 2014 when thousands of residents were forced to leave their homes when floodwater covered the rooftops of homes.
In Candijay town, 20 families in Barangay Cambane and 15 families in Barangay Cadapdapan were pre-emptively evacuated on Monday night as the town experienced moderate to occasional heavy rainfall.
Jeryl Lacang-Fuentes, Candijay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, said that on Tuesday dawn, another 10 families in Sitio Tabunok in Barangay Panadtaran were evacuated for possible flooding and landslides.
They temporarily sought shelter at Tambongan National High School, Cadapdapan Elementary School and Panadtaran Elementary School.
Cambane, Cadapdapan and Panadtaran are landslide prone barangays, according to Fuentes.
In Batuan town, 10 families were evacuated according to Batuan Vice Mayor Yes Tirol-Dumagan when the water reached knee-level.
In Sevilla town, 17 individuals were evacuated due to flood in Barangays Guinob-an, Lagtangan, Calinginan Sur and Poblacion.
Totsie Escobia, provincial information officer, said no deaths were reported. /atm
Several houses were submerged as the famous Loboc River started rising on Monday night, Jan. 1, 2018. (Photo by LEO UDTOHAN / Inquirer Visayas)