Floods affect 3,000 Mindanao residents; new LPA monitored

MANILA, Philippines - More than 3,000 people have been affected by floods triggered by a low pressure area in Mindanao, even as a new LPA spotted 1,500 kilometers east of Mindanao threatens to dump more rainfall.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 3,195 people or 651 families have been affected by flooding in seven barangays in the Davao and Soccsksargen regions.

Most of the affected folk (2,805) were from General Santos City. The others were from Montevista, Compostela Valley (300), and Glan, Sarangani (90). 

Heavy rains were also experienced in Albay, prompting the provincial government to suspend afternoon and evening classes in the pre-school, primary and secondary levels last Tuesday. 

The NDRRMC said 13 domestic flights bound for Caticlan, Naga, Legazpi and General Santos and Manila were cancelled due to bad weather. 

The NDRRMC said it remains on red alert and is continuously monitoring the situation in the flood-hit areas. The existing LPA, estimated at 150 kilometers southeast of General Santos City at 4 p.m. yesterday, continued to bring moderate to occasional heavy rains and thunderstorms over some parts of Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the new LPA was spotted at 1,190 kilometers east of Mindanao as of 4 p.m. yesterday.

The new LPA, according to PAGASA, is expected to dump five to 15 millimeters of rain per hour in the Davao and Soccsksargen regions and trigger flashfloods and landslides.

“Residents in these areas are advised to take all the necessary precautionary measures,” PAGASA said.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said the Caraga, Davao and Soccsksargen regions and Zamboanga Peninsula will be cloudy with moderate to heavy rain showers and thunderstorms.

Eastern Visayas and the rest of Mindanao will be cloudy with light to moderate rain showers or thunderstorms, while Cagayan Valley and the Ilocos region will be cloudy with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with brief rain showers or thunderstorms.

PAGASA said strong to gale force wind is expected to affect the seaboards of Northern Luzon, adding Northern Luzon, including Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan and Isabela, will have rough to very rough seas. – With Helen Flores and Celso Amo