Heavy rains dampen Christmas celebrations in Caraga
Climate Change/Environment • 16:15 PM Mon Dec 26, 2022
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PNA
FLOOD VICTIMS. Some 98 families or 397 individuals from Barangay Masao in Butuan City were evacuated on Sunday (Dec. 25, 2022) due to flooding and huge waves caused by strong winds.
BUTUAN CITY – Heavy rains lashing most parts of the Caraga Region since Saturday have forced residents to abandon their abodes for safety due to floods.
The local government units (LGUs) have mobilized their respective disaster response teams as rainfall warnings were issued on Sunday in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Dinagat Islands.
In its report on Monday (Dec. 26), the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) said 1,554 families or 6,265 individuals were directly affected by flooding incidents in Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, and Dinagat Islands as of Sunday.
Of the total affected population, 757 families or 2,895 individuals are currently staying in 30 evacuation centers in the affected provinces while the rest are with their relatives and friends.
“Ongoing assessment and validation are still being conducted on the total number of partially and totally damaged houses,” the DSWD-13 said.
The agency added that it has PHP52.88 million worth of stockpile and standby funds ready for augmentation upon the request LGUs in the region.
A total of 9,762 family food packs are also ready for augmentation at the DSWD regional warehouse here.
“The affected LGUs are advised to submit a request if they need relief augmentation for the affected families,” the DSWD-13 said.
In this city, some 98 families or 397 individuals from the coastal village of Masao were evacuated on Sunday due to floods, huge waves, and strong winds.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), in a report on Monday (Dec. 26) said the evacuees were temporarily sheltered at the Masao Elementary School for safety.
“All of the Internally Displaced Persons were already provided with welfare goods by the city government,” the CSWDO said.
Huge waves caused by strong winds also crashed into the coasts of Barangay Masao that partially damaged at least 55 houses, the CSWDO report added.
Strong winds and waves also totally destroyed 51 and partially damaged 77 houses in six coastal barangays in the town of Carmen, Agusan del Norte.
Meanwhile, sea travel in the province of Surigao del Norte has been temporarily suspended by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday morning.
In an advisory, the PCG said vessels and watercraft with 150 tonnage and below plying the route of Surigao City to Dinagat Islands are temporarily suspended due to the strong to gale force winds associated with the northeast monsoon that cause rough and huge waves in the area.
As of Monday morning, the province of Surigao del Norte was placed under the Orange Warning level while the rest of the provinces in the region were at Yellow Warning levels. (PNA)