Mindanaotoday.com | Two dead as flood inundates NorMin on Christmas Day
By: Uriel Quilinguing and Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Two bodies of still unidentified persons, believed to have been drowned by floodwaters, were recovered by a search and rescue team Sunday (Dec. 25) morning in Clarin town, Misamis Occidental.
Mayor Jojo Roa of Clarin confirmed this in a video uploaded in his Facebook wall even as he requested relatives of the dead to check and identify the bodies.
Roa assured bereaved family members the municipal government will shoulder all expenses for proper burial.
He said initial investigation indicate one was from Pan-ay while the other from Canibugan Putol, whose corpse was found at Purok 4, all villages situated along Bati-bari river.
The mayor also urged residents along rivers and creeks to be vigilant and stay in evacuation centers up due to heavy rains induced by a shear-line weather condition since Saturday.
Misamis Occidental Gov. Henry Oaminal, also in a message on Facebook, announced Sunday (Dec. 25) morning that forced evacuations would be done in areas where rivers have reached critical water levels.
“Please cooperate and stay in evacuation centers. We have enough food and water supply for you,” said Oaminal, adding that he has already requested the provincial board to hold a special session for state of emergency declaration.
Aside from Clarin, the governor said rivers and creeks in cities of Oroquieta and Ozamiz (particularly the village of Maningcol) have swelled and inundated low-lying communities, as well as those in Don Victoriano, Jimenez, Panaon, Plaridel, Sapang Dalaga, Sinacaban, and Tudela.
In Misamis Oriental, over a thousand residents in Gingoog City spent Christmas eve in evacuation centers as heavy rains caused coastal and river flooding.
Mayor Erick Cañosa, in a news conference Sunday (Dec. 25) morning, said 1,057 individuals have sought shelter in covered courts, schools, in a cockpit and at Mayor Manuel S. Lugod gym since Saturday (Dec. 24) night.
He said food and family packs were distributed in the evacuation centers while community kitchens were established.
Cañosa said that aside from the huge volume of rainwater, high tide and strong winds caused seawater to rise more than two meters, thus at least three coastal villages of 19, 20 and Santiago were flooded.
He has also requested the City Council to facilitate the declaration of a state of emergency so that funds for emergency relief assistance may be utilized.
This, even as a portion of the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro-Butuan Road in Gingoog was not passable to motorists for hours early morning on Sunday.
The Department of Public Works and Highways Misamis Oriental First Engineering District has ordered temporary closure of the Gingoog-Claveria-Villanueva road from motorists due to threats of landslides and poor visibility.
In a situational report from the Office of the Civil Defense-10 (OCD-10), the agency tallied 705 families or 1,935 individuals evacuated from a total of 25 barangays from five cities and municipalities in Misamis Oriental.
The affected areas in the said province include the cities of Gingoog and El Salvador, and the municipalities of Magsaysay, Talisayan, Balingoan, and Balingasag.
Of the said figures, a total of 696 families or 1,863 individuals have remained in the evacuation centers as some of the families already went back to their respective places.
On the other hand, in the province of Misamis Occidental, the OCD-10 has tallied 505 affected and evacuated families, which are equivalent to 2,398 individuals from a total of 16 barangays in the municipalities of Sinacaban and Jimenez.
The said number of affected families are still in the evacuation areas based on the report, and the flood from the two municipalities already subsided as of 5 a.m of December 25.
It can be recalled that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has issued a heavy rainfall warning signal number 2 due to shearline/wind convergence weather system on December 24, 8 p.m.
Due to the heavy rains, the water system in Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental, specifically the transmission pipeline has been reportedly damaged.
On the other hand, the Highway 955 and Cagayan de Oro-Butuan highway in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental has also been affected because of road blockage due to loosen gravel and falling rocks and trees, and overflowing of canal due to nonstop heavy rains.
Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro has also experienced non-stop light to moderate rains. However, there were no affected nor evacuated families as of the latest, and the water level of the Cagayan de Oro and Iponan river remain normal as confirmed by the City Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRRMD) and Management Department here.
The respective local government units of the affected areas have been currently monitoring the weather condition and advised their respective constituents to take extra precautions. (30)
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