FLASHFLOODS struck 17 villages in two Misamis Oriental towns yesterday morning, displacing at least 331 families and destroying farms.
A man identified as Ronald Ayuman drowned as floodwaters submerged a village in Balingasag town.
Another man was declared missing.
Balingasag, the hometown of Gov. Oscar Moreno, was the most badly hit. There, floodwaters submerged communities in Cogon, Barangay Napaliran and the lowland villages of Mandangwa, Talusan, San Isidro.
Floodwaters also submerged communities and farms in Kauswagan, Lagonglong.
Capitol workers counted at least 19 houses destroyed by the floodwaters in Balingasag as of yesterday afternoon.
Capitol’s social welfare chief, Teddy Sabugaa, told The Gold Star Daily the floodwaters hit the populated Napaliran around 4:30 am following a night of heavy rains.
Sabugaa said some 181 families were displaced in Balingasag and 150 other families fled for safer grounds in Lagonglong.
"Kalit kuno kaayo ang maong panghitabo kay kusog kaayo ang ulan unya natingala na lang sila kay mitakilid naman ilang mga balay didto," Sabugaa said.
From Napaliran, floodwaters reached Talusan and other lowland villages where and destroyed crops.
The floodwaters reached as far as the village of Mandangwa where some 20 hectares planted with vegetables were destroyed.
Balingasag Vice Mayor Alexis Quina called on the capitol to immediately declare the town under a state of calamity. A delaration would facilitate the speedy release of emergency funds for the town.
Quina said the town government was still assessing the damages.
Of the 11 Balingasag barangays that sustained damages in Balingasag, Napiliran was the hardest hit with damages to crops and structures estimated at some P20 million.
This included a P10 million dike which was washed out by the flashfloods.
"We badly need help from the national government on this," said provincial board member Jaime Caina, adding the capitol’s funds were not enough to rebuild the dike.
In Lagonglong town, local officials had to evacuate villagers from Kauswagan because the floodwaters were already three feet deep.
Lagonglong Mayor Jovenal Puertas Jr. ordered the evacuation of some 50 families from Barangay Kauswagan to the Lagonglong Multi-Purpose Court.
A team from the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council headed by Danny Matias rushed to the towns to distribute food to the evacuees.
The problem on floodings was also felt in Cagayan de Oro.
Areas flooded in Cagayan de Oro included San Juan I and II in Lapasan, Purok 2A in Gusa, Cugman, Camaman-an, Kauswagan, Consolacion and Iponan.
City Engineer’s Office head Emmanuel Abejuela said he sent a team to declog drainages in the affected areas.
That can be read at Gold Star Daily
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