Floods displace Misamis, Zamboanga folk

OZAMIZ CITY—Massive flooding spawned by about 10 hours of heavy rains since Thursday evening hit several areas of Misamis Occidental, including this city on Friday but no casualty had been reported so far, officials said.

Residents had to flee when the water started to rise in their areas. High tide, measuring 1.8 meters, had complicated the situation.

Tudela town Mayor Estela Obut said 241 families were rescued from up to neck-deep waters that submerged 11 of the town’s 33 villages.

“No one was reported hurt as we were able to respond to rescue needs in time,” she said.

Obut said the Paca River overflowed and flooded the town’s villages. She said several areas of nearby Clarin town were also inundated. “Initial disaster survey showed that 16 houses had been damaged,” she said.

As of Friday noon, at least three villages remained isolated from the town center because of the deep water, she added.

Only those with bancas, she said, had access to the barangays of Yahong, Luksoon and Silongon.

In Ozamiz City, Mayor Nova Princess Echavez ordered the suspension of classes in all elementary and high schools due to the rising floodwaters.

Minor landslides in Barangay Bitibot of Sapang Dalaga town also blocked half of the national highway, constraining the flow of traffic, according to reports from other officials.

In Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte, the floods, which reached up to eight-feet deep in many areas, had receded early Friday, according to Alemario Dagpin, secretary to the mayor.

Councilor Apple Agolong said displaced residents from the city’s 12 flooded villages had started returning home.

Dagpin said some of those returning found their village in disarray and their houses damaged.

“So many houses were destroyed, some were washed out to sea. We are still conducting our assessment,” he said.

Adriano Fuego, director of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Western Mindanao, reported that 13,052 individuals were directly affected by the Dapitan flash floods.

A bridge also collapsed due to the current, he said.

Maribel Enriquez of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) based in Zamboanga City said the floods that hit Misamis Occidental and Dapitan were triggered by heavy rains.

She said there was no storm forecast but the rains were caused by the cold front and northeast monsoon.

Enriquez said rains were also expected in other Mindanao areas.

“We are also monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) in southern Mindanao coupled with the tail of the cold front,” she said.

The LPA has been spotted east of Mindanao, and it is expected to bring rains to Visayas and Mindanao, according to Pagasa.

Pagasa said that as of 2 p.m. on  Friday, the LPA  was 730 kilometers east of Mindanao.

Eastern and Central Visayas and Northern and eastern Mindanao may experience widespread rains that may trigger flash floods and landslides.

The rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains. Ryan Rosauro and Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao; with a report from Leila B. Salaverria in Manila