Sarangani residents flee flash floods

Koronadal City – Some 124 families composed of over 1,000 residents were evacuated from their shanties along the riverbank in Maasim town, Sarangani for fear of flash floods due to recent incessant rains in the area.

The houses of the evacuees were located near the banks of Seguil River in Sitio Seguil, Barangay Tinoto in Maasim.

Carmelo Latoja, action officer of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) of Sarangani, said the evacuees are now temporarily staying at the barangay gym and the Seguil Elementary School.

“They decided to leave their houses for fear of being swept by the flood similar to three houses that were swept by floodwaters caused by the continuous rains last Wednesday,” Latoja said.

Latoja said the strong river current have caused panic among residents who were prompted to evacuate to safer grounds to avoid flash floods.

He said minutes after the residents left their houses, rampaging waters from the Seguil River swept three houses. No one was reported injured or killed in the said incident.

Latoja said the Sarangani-PDCC and the Maasim Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MMDCC) have already extended assistance to the affected families.

Disaster officials said its dangerous for the families to go back to their houses, citing the fact that sometimes heavy rainfalls are happening in the mountains of South Cotabato province and all the rainwaters there poured directly to the Seguil River that caused surprised flash floods.

Latoja said as long as they (families) are staying at the evacuation areas, the provincial government will continue to extend support by giving them rice and can goods.

Acting Sarangani Governor Steve Solon immediately went to Maasim town to see the conditions of the evacuees there and supervised the distribution of the relief goods from PDCC and MMDCC.

The STAR learned that four years ago, the water in Seguil River overflowed and caused flash floods that reportedly injured four people, destroyed 30 houses and forced 67 families to evacuate to safer grounds.