LEYTE; NO CASUALTIES
DAVAO CITY, DECEMBER
28, 2011 (STAR)
By Edith Regalado — Flashfloods caused by incessant rains in the past
days hit Bukidnon and other parts of Mindanao yesterday.
It had been raining in the region for three straight days because of the
inter-tropical convergence zone prevailing in Mindanao.
Pulangi River overflowed and caused flashfloods in portions of Bukidnon,
particularly in Valencia City. The river still had normal water levels as of 5
a.m. yesterday.
As the water level in the river rose, the diversion dam of the National
Irrigation Administration (NIA) located between Barangay Lumbayao in Valencia
and San Fernando overflowed.
Maj. Eugenio Osias IV, spokesman for the Army's 4th Infantry Division, said
the floods wiped out the entire Purok Dos in Barangay Poblacion in Valencia
City.
Affected by the floods were nine barangays in the city: Maapag, Katumbalon,
Pinatilan, Batangan, San Isidro, Lumbayao, Kahaponan, Poblacion and Sinabuagan.
The flashflood displaced 336 families or about 1,386 persons.
Air Force helicopters have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
No casualty was reported.
Heavy floods in Surigao, Agusan
[PHOTO - This photo sent via YouScoop by Twitter user @dontdonna shows
strong waves coming into a ferry along Maqueda Channel in between Catanduanes
and Camarines Sur in Bicol.]
About three feet of floods also occurred in Surigao and Agusan provinces
yesterday, rendering several roads impassable.
The Daang Maharlika in Surigao del Sur was closed to traffic yesterday
morning because of the floods, as well as the Davao-Butuan highway after
floodwaters inundated Bayugan City in Agusan del Sur.
Some 280 families or 1,244 people from Surigao City, Claver, Sison, Tubod,
and Placer in Surigao del Norte and Libjo in Dinagat were brought to various
evacuation centers.
Pre-emptive evacuation was also ordered yesterday in Purok Uno in Poblacion
Monkayo, Compostela Valley because of the continued rise in the water levels of
the Agusan River.
One-year-old Roan was reported missing in Barangay San Roque, Surigao City.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a
total of 14 barangays with 447 families or 1,896 persons were evacuated when
floods hit parts of the Caraga region that groups Agusan del Norte, Agusan del
Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.
The low-pressure area also affected 74 families or 275 persons in Leyte and
60 families or 300 persons in Cebu.
Heavy rainfall in Leyte, Cebu
Rains dumped by the tail end of a cold front in Cebu and Southern Leyte
yesterday surpassed the monthly average rainfall of the two areas, according to
the state weather bureau.
Fernando Cada, weather forecaster at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical
and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said 185.4 millimeters of
rain was recorded in Mactan, Cebu from 8 a.m. of Dec. 26 to 8 a.m. of Dec. 27,
exceeding its 133.2-mm average rainfall for the month of December.
In Southern Leyte, the recorded rainfall during the 24-hour monitoring was
209.6 mm, higher than its monthly average rainfall of 198.8 mm. With Roel Pareño, Alexis Romero, Helen Flores
FROM GMANEWS TV
Rains cause floods in Surigao, Agusan, Metro Cebu, Leyte; no
casualties reported December 27, 2011 7:34am
(Updated 9:14 a.m.) Floods from heavy rain brought by a low-pressure area
have reached waist-high level in some areas of Surigao and Agusan provinces, the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday.
NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos cited initial reports reaching him
that several areas in Surigao and Agusan had to be closed to traffic due to the
floodwaters.
"Closed ang traffic dahil (hanggang) baywang ang tubig baha doon. Sa Daang
Maharlika ng Surigao del Norte, closed traffic dahil sa baha. (Sa) Agusan del
Sur at North Bayugan City at San Francisco, baha na rin ito kaya closed traffic
(Several areas in Surigao and Agusan are closed to traffic because the
floodwaters there are waist-high. In Daang Maharlika in Surigao del Norte, roads
are closed to traffic due to the floods. In Agusan del Sur, Bayugan City and San
Francisco are also flooded)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.
But he said there are no casualties reported so far, as the residents there
are "used" to floods.
He said they were preemptively evacuated to safer ground before the floods
hit. Some 1,000 families were evacuated, he added.
"Mabuti sanay ang tao rito. Nag-evacuatee sila dito kahapon pa. Preemptive
evacuation, walang casualties (It is good that the people there are used to
this. They evacuated since Monday. We hope there are no casualties because of
the preemptive evacuation)," he said.
Some 280 families or 1,244 people from seven villages were brought to
different evacuation centers in the Caraga region.
These include families from Surigao City, Claver, Sison, Tubod, and Placer in
Surigao del Norte; and Libjo in Dinagat.
The NDRRMC noted cloudy skies with rain showers at Caraga, with the Active
Local Emergency response Teams (ALERT) of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island
Search and Rescue Team (DISART) on standby to closely monitor the situation.
Quick response teams of Surigao City were deployed to flood-prone areas in
the city especially in San Juan village.
Ramos said the rain appeared to stop Monday night, although the rainwater may
accumulate in the local river system.
This photo sent via YouScoop by Twitter user @dontdonna shows strong waves
coming into a ferry along Maqueda Channel in between Catanduanes and Camarines
Sur in Bicol.
Cebu and Southern Leyte
On the other hand, Ramos cited reports there are also floods in Cebu
province, as well as Southern Leyte.
He said residents in the village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard town in
Southern Leyte had been preemptively evacuated. In 2006, heavy rains triggered a
land slide that buried much of Guinsaugon, killing over a thousand residents.
Some 74 families or 275 people from St. Bernard were brought to evacuation
centers due to the heavy rain.
As of Tuesday morning, the NDRRMC said authorities are also monitoring
swollen riverbeds in Abuyog in Leyte.
The NDRRMC also said the boundary of Bonifacio and District I villages in
Julia town are submerged in floodwaters.
Meanwhile, floods and at least one landslide from continuous rain hit parts
of Metro Cebu, affecting some streets and a local mall there.
A report by radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate early Tuesday said floodwaters from
the heavy rain entered the local SM mall in Cebu City.
Many vehicles were stalled at the reclamation area near the roadside in Cebu
City due to the floods, the report added.
Some residents in flooded areas were evacuated to safer ground, even as there
was no initial report of casualties.
On the other hand, the NDRRMC said at least 60 families or 300 people were
evacuated from their homes in Sitio Laray, Pitogo and Cansaga villages in
Consolacion town in Cebu.
The residents were brought to chapels and day care centers.
Flooding was also reported in Mandaue City.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration earlier warned of rain from a low-pressure area that may affect
the Visayas and Mindanao.
PAGASA also said the rain may start to affect parts of Southern Luzon and
Bicol as well.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), a joint mission between the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA), reported that as of December 26, there was severe
flood potential in many areas of Visayas and Mindanao, such as Surigao (as much
as 221 mm), Bislig in Mindanao (240mm), Maasin in Leyte (490 mm), and Tacloban,
Leyte (212 mm). – KG/HS/ELR, GMA News
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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