.5 M displaced in VisMin floods
More than half a million people were displaced in massive flooding spawned by torrential rains brought by the tail-end of a cold front and a low-pressure area in the Visayas and Mindanao since last week.
At least 445 areas in Northern, Western and Central Mindanao; Western, Central and Eastern Visayas as well as Southern Tagalog were affected by flash floods, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( NDRRMC) reported yesterday.
”A total of 105,977 families or 514,268 persons were affected in 726 villages,” Ricardo Jalad, NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense administrator.
Jalad said 4,793 families remained in 74 evacuation centers.
He said damage to agriculture and infrastructure was initially placed at P363.5 million.
Nine persons were reported killed, 10 injured and two missing in the floods. A total of 579 houses were destroyed in Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Central Visayas.
Still flooded
Many areas remain flooded in southern and eastern Mindanao with thousands evacuated in Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte.
Emergency response personnel and volunteers rescued residents trapped in their houses in the towns of Kapalong, Braulio Dujali, Panabo, Carmen and Tagum City in Davao del Norte.
The towns of Mawab, Montevista, Nabunturan, Compostela and Monkayo were submerged in floodwaters while the access road to Bataan was cut off after a bridge in the area collapsed.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center in Lupon town reported a landslide along the Mati-Maragusan road.
State of calamity
Parts of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Agusan del Norte and the entire provinces of Misamis Oriental and Davao Oriental were earlier placed under a state of calamity.
The entire province of Agusan del Sur, from only three towns last week, was also declared under a state of calamity yesterday.
In Maguindanao, the provincial government delivered 10 tons of food packs in Pagalungan town, where more than 8,000 families were affected by flashfloods. The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao transported food packs for evacuees in Montawal.
The Davao City government provided P2.2 million in financial assistance to flood victims in various areas and delivered food packs to Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday.