Caraga floods displace 12,500 families

BISLIG CITY — Some 12,500 families or around 62,000 individuals were displaced by floods that hit Caraga Region anew due to continuous rains in the past five days.

The Weather Forecast Bureau said the flood was caused by monsoon rains that damaged roads, bridges, rice farmlands and agricultural crops.

According to the report of the Butuan City-based Regional Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), some families have been evacuated in three barangays while the flood already affects 18 barangays here.

In San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, local officials headed by Mayor Carrie Lademora had declared a state of calamity after six of its barangays were hit hard by floods, prompting residents to evacuate. Public utility vehicles and private motorists and commuters were stranded for hours due to damaged roads and bridges

In Barangay Unidos, Tago, Surigao del Sur, commuters to and from Tandag, Surigao del Sur had to take motorized bancas after the huge and mighty Tago River swelled, which caused the water to overflow to the national highway.

Big transport firms like the Bachelor Express passenger buses plying the Tandag-Butuan City and Davao City routes were stranded in Barangay Unidos after meters-deep floodwaters overflowed to the national highway.

The Tago Bailey Bridge was also washed out by strong currents of the Tago River.

Continuous rains for days now have also damaged some portions of the 90-kilometer highway from here to Agusan del Sur.

Roads in two other towns of Surigao del Sur — Cantilan and Carmen — remained unpassable as of press time after floodwaters, nearly one-meter high, reached the highway.

According to the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, in Surigao del Sur alone, millions of agricultural crops mostly rice farms were damaged as floodwaters continue to rise.

The Office of Civil Defense here said some 626 families or around 3,192 individuals were evacuated to different areas in the municipalities of Mainit, Surigao del Norte, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur and Butuan City.