High alert up in Lanao provinces vs flooding

High alert up in Lanao provinces vs flooding

ILIGAN CITY — It was a wet Christmas Day in Mindanao as easterlies started dumping rain in many parts of the island early Monday morning, exposing communities to the threats of floods and landslides.

In Lanao del Norte, eight houses were partially damaged when a whirlwind struck Purok 3 of Barangay Poblacion in Kolambugan town amid heavy rainfall and strong winds around 7 a.m. on Christmas Day. No casualty was reported.

Roy Secuya, operations officer of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Lanao del Norte, said they were still assessing the damage and how many families were affected.

Both provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, as well as the cities of Iligan and Marawi, experienced moderate to heavy rainfall on Christmas Day due to easterlies, putting the PDRRMOs in these provinces on high alert for flooding and other rain-induced calamities.

All the 22 municipal DRRMOs in Lanao del Norte were directed to be on standby at their respective command centers to monitor the situation in coastal and hinterland villages and the status of riverbanks for possible flooding or landslides.

Senior Grade Carlos Bayeta, station commander of the Philippine Coast Guard in Misamis Occidental, said heavy rainfall was also being experienced in the province. But as of 12:30 p.m. on Monday, there was no advisory suspending the operation of barges plying the route between Ozamiz City and Mukas, Kolambugan in Lanao del Norte.

Rain advisory

As early as 6 a.m. on Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) had issued a general flood advisory for the Caraga region, based on its 12-hour forecast that showed light to moderate rains.

The state weather bureau advised precautionary measures in the provinces of Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte… Read more