(Updated 9:14 a.m.) Floods from heavy rain brought by a low-pressure area have reached waist-high level in some areas of Surigao and Agusan provinces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday.
NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos cited initial reports reaching him that several areas in Surigao and Agusan had to be closed to traffic due to the floodwaters.
"Closed ang traffic dahil (hanggang) baywang ang tubig baha doon. Sa Daang Maharlika ng Surigao del Norte, closed traffic dahil sa baha. (Sa) Agusan del Sur at North Bayugan City at San Francisco, baha na rin ito kaya closed traffic (Several areas in Surigao and Agusan are closed to traffic because the floodwaters there are waist-high. In Daang Maharlika in Surigao del Norte, roads are closed to traffic due to the floods. In Agusan del Sur, Bayugan City and San Francisco are also flooded)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.
But he said there are no casualties reported so far, as the residents there are "used" to floods.
He said they were preemptively evacuated to safer ground before the floods hit. Some 1,000 families were evacuated, he added.
"Mabuti sanay ang tao rito. Nag-evacuatee sila dito kahapon pa. Preemptive evacuation, walangcasualties (It is good that the people there are used to this. They evacuated since Monday. We hope there are no casualties because of the preemptive evacuation)," he said.
Some 280 families or 1,244 people from seven villages were brought to different evacuation centers in the Caraga region.
These include families from Surigao City, Claver, Sison, Tubod, and Placer in Surigao del Norte; and Libjo in Dinagat.
The NDRRMC noted cloudy skies with rain showers at Caraga, with the Active Local Emergency response Teams (ALERT) of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island Search and Rescue Team (DISART) on standby to closely monitor the situation.
Quick response teams of Surigao City were deployed to flood-prone areas in the city especially in San Juan village.
Ramos said the rain appeared to stop Monday night, although the rainwater may accumulate in the local river system.
This photo sent via YouScoop by Twitter user @dontdonna shows strong waves coming into a ferry along Maqueda Channel in between Catanduanes and Camarines Sur in Bicol.
Cebu and Southern Leyte
On the other hand, Ramos cited reports there are also floods in Cebu province, as well as Southern Leyte.
He said residents in the village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte had beenpreemptively evacuated. In 2006, heavy rains triggered a land slide that buried much of Guinsaugon, killing over a thousand residents.
Some 74 families or 275 people from St. Bernard were brought to evacuation centers due to the heavy rain.
Some 74 families or 275 people from St. Bernard were brought to evacuation centers due to the heavy rain.
As of Tuesday morning, the NDRRMC said authorities are also monitoring swollen riverbeds in Abuyog in Leyte.
The NDRRMC also said the boundary of Bonifacio and District I villages in Julia town are submerged in floodwaters.
Meanwhile, floods and at least one landslide from continuous rain hit parts of Metro Cebu, affecting some streets and a local mall there.
A report by radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate early Tuesday said floodwaters from the heavy rain entered the local SM mall in Cebu City.
Many vehicles were stalled at the reclamation area near the roadside in Cebu City due to the floods, the report added.
Some residents in flooded areas were evacuated to safer ground, even as there was no initial report of casualties.
On the other hand, the NDRRMC said at least 60 families or 300 people were evacuated from their homes in Sitio Laray, Pitogo and Cansaga villages in Consolacion town in Cebu.
The residents were brought to chapels and day care centers.
Flooding was also reported in Mandaue City.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration earlier warned ofrain from a low-pressure area that may affect the Visayas and Mindanao.
PAGASA also said the rain may start to affect parts of Southern Luzon and Bicol as well.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), a joint mission between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), reported that as of December 26, there was severe flood potential in many areas of Visayas and Mindanao, such as Surigao (as much as 221 mm), Bislig in Mindanao (240mm), Maasin in Leyte (490 mm), and Tacloban, Leyte (212 mm). – KG/HS, GMA News