Manila: Hundreds of thousands were displaced and thousands more were forced to leave their homes on Friday as three major rivers remained swollen after a week of rains that have so far killed 34 in the southern Philippines, sources said.
The low pressure area has turned into a storm, which could further inundate the area, sources added. It also threatens nearby central Philippines where millions of survivors are still reeling from Typhoon Haiyan’s devastation.
A total of 376,685 people were displaced due to a low pressure area (LPA) that flooded 406 villages, 66 municipalities, and 14 provinces in three regions in Mindanao, southern Philippines, Undersecretary Eduardo del Rosario, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) told Gulf News.
The displaced included 161,073 residents in 222 villages of the Caraga Region where Agusan River overflowed last week, said del Rosario, adding on Friday almost 10,000 residents of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur left their homes and stayed at some of the 178 evacuation centres that local government leaders established in the region.
The largest number of displaced people hailed from Davao Region XI, where 184,667 people were homeless because Saug River and Libugawan River, both in Davao del Norte were swollen.
Thousands more were displaced in Region X in northern Mindanao, flooded areas of which included Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lana del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental, said del Rosario.
The three affected regions have a total of 337 evacuation centres where 199,527 people have been staying temporarily to weather floods and landslides since January 10, said del Rosario.
The 34 fatalities were mainly due to 13 landslide and six flooding incidents, said del Rosario, adding that three miners from Agusan del Norte were the latest fatalities.
The youngest victims included 2-year-old January Anne Aquino who drowned in Monkayo, Compostela Valley; 6-year old Jenamae Gonzales, who was buried by a landslide in Mt Diwata, Compostela Valley. The oldest victim was 70-year old Guadalupe Adlawen who drowned in Maco, Compostela Valley.
Schools, offices, air and seaports were closed in all affected areas.
Several areas in the south were isolated because 65 roads and 35 bridges were impassable; 14 more bridges, 25 roads, and six government buildings were damaged, said del Rosario, adding that 221 homes were totally damaged and 723 houses partially damaged
“Rains in the southern Philippines have become increasingly strong since 2011,” said del Rosario.
Many of the displaced were survivors of Typhoon Bopha (also known as Pablo), which killed 1,900 in Davao del Nrote and Davao Oriental in December 2012.
The offshore low pressure area has developed into a tropical storm, identified as Agaton, and predicted to be 40 kilometres northeast of Surigao del Sur on Saturday, 13 kilometres northwest of Davao City on Sunday.
Moving slowly at 5km/h, the strorm has a wind gustiness of 55km/h near the centre. Its 300 kilometre diameter is expected to dump 5 to 15mm of rain per hour on southern Philippines, said weather forecaster Joey Figuracion, adding Agaton could inundate Surigao further.
Most of the affected areas in the south have recorded more than more than half a month of rains in just one week, said Figuracion.
