Flash floods sweep through 5 Misamis towns

BALINGASAG, Misamis Oriental — Two straight days of heavy rains spawned by typhoon "Neneng" have triggered flash floods in five municipalities in Misamis Oriental.

Teodoro Sabug-a, executive director of the provincial disaster coordinating council, said flash floods have swept through the eastern towns of Balingasag, Lagonglong, Salay, Jasaan, and Tagoloan.

As of Tuesday night, Danny Matias, leader of the provincial quick response team, said 541 families in the affected municipalities had fled their homes.

Local disaster management officials led by Gov. Oscar Moreno and Jaime Caina, chairman of the provincial board’s infrastructure committee, have surveyed the affected towns, although they could not yet give estimates on the damage to property, agriculture and infrastructure.

The provincial government has extended relief assistance such as rice, canned goods, and noodles to the affected families.

This is the fourth major disaster to hit the affected towns this year. Flash floods caused by a cloudburst and southwest monsoon storm tides earlier battered them.

Meanwhile, Sorsogon Bishop Bastes appealed yesterday for relief assistance such as food, medicines and clothing for the 57,969 families displaced by typhoon "Milenyo" in Sorsogon.

Bastes said Sorsogon could not have suffered such devastation if weather forecasters had properly warned them two to three days before "Milenyo" lashed at the province.

"We were not properly advised. I would have appreciated it if PAGASA had given a warning. It is one of the worst destructions I have seen in my life," Bastes told reporters.

According to Bastes, "Milenyo" displaced 362,030 Sorsogon residents. Out of the 291 barangays in the province, about 94 percent or 274 barangays suffered the brunt of the typhoon, with the barangays of Sirangan, Canbularan and Talisay completely wiped out, he said.

Power was still down in the province as of yesterday.

The Diocese of Sorsogon has launched the Sagip Buhay relief operation, making an urgent appeal for financial assistance and for donations of food, medicine and clothing for the affected families. — With Evelyn Macairan