Rescuers help individuals affected by the flood cross a river in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat on Sunday, 14 July 2024. Photo from Kalamansig MDRRMO Facebook page
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 17 July ) – The floods in Region 12 or Soccsksargen region have affected about 40,000 families in at least three provinces, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.
Jorie Mae Balmediano, OCD-12 spokesperson, said the floods severely affected agriculture and have displaced around 190,000 individuals as of Tuesday, July 16, in the provinces of Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato.
Taking the brunt of surging floodwaters were the coastal towns of Glan, Kiamba and Maitum in Sarangani province and the towns of Palimbang, Kalamansig and Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province, Balmediano said in a radio interview.
The rains in Sultan Kudarat triggered flash floods that swept away houses and landslides, rendering roads impassable. At least two bridges were damaged by raging flood waters, the OCD reported.
The floods damaged two bridges in barangays Tambis and Kidayan, along the highway linking Kalamansig and Palimbang towns in Sultan Kudarat.
The Department of Public Works and Highways – Region 12 reported that as of 3 p.m. Monday, July 15, the affected bridges and road sections in the two towns were passable to all types of vehicles.
A report by the Kalamansig Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said 3,000 families from nine barangays were evacuated to 11 evacuation centers due to the sudden floods.
Kalamansig MDRRO head Ernie Quillo said the families came from barangays Santa Maria, Bantogon, Nalilidan, Paril, Santa Clara, Cadiz, Pag-asa, Hinalaan and Datu Wasay.
Quillo said there were at least five houses that were swept by flood waters with occupants still inside.
“The families inside those houses were saved with the use of rescue boats,” Quillo said.
The Kalamansig MDRRMO listed 20 landslides in barangays Hinalaan and Santa Clara that buried roads and isolated several communities, making it difficult for emergency workers to bring in aid.
In Cotabato province, Governor Emmylou Mendoza said the floods displaced at least 13,500 families, mostly from Pikit and Kabacan towns, which are along the Rio Grande de Mindanao and the vast Ligawasan Marsh.
Also affected by floods were the low-lying towns of Mlang, Matalam, Pigcawayan, Libungan, the governor said.
Balmediano said many of the affected families were brought to designated evacuation centers in their respective localities. She said there were those who have returned to their homes, but some preferred to stay with the prevailing inclement weather.
“We are still assessing further the extent of damages to agriculture and infrastructure,” she said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Wednesday morning said it is monitoring a low-pressure area east of Mindanao that may develop into a tropical depression.
Pagasa’s monitoring of the Mindanao River Basin as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday states that light rains were recorded over the basin during the past 24 hours.
The agency also issued a forecast of light rains during the next 24 hours and that water levels within the basin are expected to remain normal during the forecast period. (Rommel Rebollido / MindaNews)
