NDRRMC reports flood remains in large parts of PHL; infra and crop damage reach P300M

LARGE areas in Central and Southern Luzon and in the Visayas and Mindanao are still swamped in floodwaters due to torrential rains dumped by the combination of shear line and a low pressure area (LPA), the government’s disaster body said in its monitoring report issued on Thursday.

While the casualty has been pegged to 10 deaths and two missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said at least 166 areas in Regions 3, 4B, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are still struggling with flooding as a result of the incessant rains brought by the shear line that was whipped up by the LPA.

A big area in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao has been struck by widespread f looding and landslides before Christmas last year and this was further aggravated by the ensuing low pressure areas since January this year, bringing heavy rains in the already flood-hit provinces.

Based on the monitoring of the NDRRMC, there are at least 13 flood-hit areas in Central Luzon, 11 in the Bicol Region, 43 in Region 6, 76 in Region 8 and 22 in Region 10, although flooding in another 265 areas in the affected regions have already subsided.

The state weather bureau warned that Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao should expect more rains, as a result of the prevailing LPA.

The combination of heavy rains and flooding cut communication lines and triggered power blackouts in at least nine areas, while three other areas reported water supply interruptions.

At least 25 roads and 11 bridges have remained closed to traffic as of Thursday as the government rushed to deliver emergency assistance to the affected provinces, cities and municipalities across the country. On Wednesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the distribution of aid in Misamis Occidental.

The NDRRMC said the bad weather has so far affected 106,143 families or 438,998 individuals in 564 villages in Regions 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It also displaced at least 1,560 families or 5,730 people.

At least P165,745,496 worth of infrastructure and another P116,717,192.73 worth of agriculture products have been damaged.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that its personnel also evacuated families from Barangay San Jose Guzu in Zamboanga City due to heavy flooding on Wednesday. Some of the families were trapped on the rooftops of their houses.

A similar rescue operation was also carried out in Agusan del Norte.