Floods hit Negros Occ; one dies in landslide

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Heavy rains since Monday night have caused floods early Tuesday morning in several areas in Bacolod and some parts of Negros Occidental, government agencies reported yesterday.

In northern Negros Occidental, floods hit the cities of Sagay, San Carlos, Cadiz, Talisay and Silay, and the towns of Toboso, Calatrava and E. B. Magalona, sending hundreds of residents to evacuation centers, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) report said.

One fatality was reported by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office. In Calatrava town, 50-year-old Fernando Yangco of Brgy. Telim was killed by a landslide Tuesday morning.

Calatrava has been identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau as highly susceptible to landslides, while another landslide was also reported in Barangay Bug-ang of Toboso town that rendered a road impassable. 

In Sagay City, waist-deep floods made the national road in Barangay Fabrica impassable until yesterday afternoon. Passengers were stranded as buses and other vehicles could not pass through the Fabrica bridge because the water in Himoga-an river overflowed.

Also in Sagay, 430 families were affected by floods in six barangays, while about 1,000 houses were flooded in Barangay Paraiso, including 49 that were destroyed, the PSWDO report read. Also flooded were portions of Barangays Tadlong, Malubon, Rafaela Barrera, and Poblacion 2, while a total of 349 families were also evacuated in Fabrica, the report added.

Troopers of the 62nd Infantry Brigade and the local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council assisted in evacuating thousands of residents in the six barangays in Sagay.

In San Carlos City, about 300 families from Barangays 1 and Punao were evacuated. A total of 1,140 families were affected. Six barangays in Talisay City, namely, Zones 8, 12, 14, 14A, 15, 15A, were flooded and residents sought shelter in a day care center and two schools. About 83 families were affected. Some of the evacuees, however, returned to their houses by 2 p.m. yesterday.

In Cadiz City, flooding was reported in barangays Tinampa-an and Tiglawigan affecting 230 families. In E.B. Magalona town, floods rose to knee-deep high in Brgy. Alicante but the situation remained manageable, according to Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander.

In Silay City, 58 families in Brgys. Mambulac, Hawaiian, 11, Rizal, and Guinhalaran were affected by the floods, but were also able to return home later in the afternoon.

In Bacolod City, residents along Banago Bridge were warned after river water reached critical level. Floods reaching 2 feet high also hit adjacent Barangays of 3, 4, and 6. City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Joemari Vargas said the flood eventually subsided by late morning.

Two families were rescued in Florenceville Subdivision in Brgy. Tangub after floodwaters there reached 4 feet when a creek overflowed. In Brgy. Estefania village, six families were also evacuated. 

In a radio interview yesterday, Vargas said if the rains stopped, there would be no danger of waters rising again in flood-prone areas in Bacolod, otherwise rescue teams will continue to monitor closely these places as high tide may cause waters to reach 1.8 meters and result in flooding.

Some areas in Moises Padilla, Valladolid, San Enrique, and Binalbagan towns, all in southern Negros Occidental, were also hit by floods. About 187 families in Valladolid, and 200 families in San Enrique were affected by floods, the Provincial Disaster Management Division reported.

Benjie Balesteros of the Provincial Disaster Management Team reiterates the warning to the public to still be wary even if the rains may stop for a while. He said the rains continue to be a threat especially to those who are residing along riverbanks and waterways . He urged the residents to evacuate as soon as there is indication that the water rises to critical level.

Balesteros said that the continuous rains are caused by a low pressure area in northern Mindanao which affected the Visayas region, including Negros Occidental.

So far, two persons who were reported missing Tuesday were found. One was rescued in Binalbagan river, after he was carried by strong currents in Moises Padilla and the other one in Cadiz City. (FREEMAN)