8,000 DISPLACED BY DAVAO FLOODING

DAVAO CITY: The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) here rescued more than 2,000 families or 8,000 persons from 15 barangay (villages) affected by the swelling of the city’s major rivers and tributaries on Wednesday, January 31.

The floods were triggered by the heavy rains brought about by the trough of the low pressure area (LPA).

CDRRMO head Alfredo Baloran said 2,423 families from 15 affected areas were brought to a safer place. He also said that as of Thursday morning, February 1, there have been no reports of casualties or injuries due to flooding or landslides.

The CDRRMO advised the preemptive and mandatory evacuations due to the increasing level of water in major rivers as early as Wednesday afternoon, he said.

Meanwhile, as of 12 noon on Thursday, the regional Office of Civil

Defense (OCD) reported that a total of 14,394 individuals belonging to 3,510 families have been affected by the continuous rains.

Most of the affected population are residents of seven villages in Davao de Oro where 2,103 families or 7,883 individuals have been displaced by the flooding and landslides.

Flooding and landslides have also affected 6,368 individuals from 1,368 families living in eight villages in Davao Oriental.

Six roads in these two provinces have been declared not passable for any types of vehicles because of flooding or landslides.

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (DoST-Pagasa) on Wednesday, January 31, issued Weather Advisory No. 5 stating that the trough of an LPA may bring a significant amount of rains within the next three days.