Death toll in Caraga floods rises to 7; state of calamity declared

BUTUAN CITY – The number of casualties brought about by flooding and landslides in Caraga Region have already risen to seven while one was still missing bringing the total number of evacuees to 11,486 individuals or about 2,677 families as the flooding continues affecting 270,810 persons due to rains that started Jan. 10.

Two casualties in the Jan. 15 landslide in Bislig City were already identified – Rose Jean Langis Tejero, 27, resident of Purok 13, Mancarogo, Bislig City; and Diosdado Talip Paguiding, 51, resident of Poblacion, Bislig City; according to the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council.

The two casualties together with two others were boarding a single motorcycle while passing a mountain side road in Purok Gangas, Mangagoy, Bislig City Thursday evening when cascading boulders of rocks and loose soil hit them which buried them alive.

The RDCC-13 report as of yesterday morning showed that the number of barangays affected in the region increased to 311 from 29 municipalities and four cities.

The report also claimed seven towns have reported to have declared a state of calamity.

“This does not include local government units who have not yet submitted reports as of yesterday morning,” Office of the Civil Defense Caraga Regional director Dr. Blanche Gobenciong said yesterday.

The towns that have been declared under state of calamity were Jabonga, Agusan del Norte and six towns of Agusan del Sur – Veruela, Sta Josefa, Esperanza, Prosperidad, Sibagat and Rosario, the report claimed.

Estimated damages to private and public infrastructure, irrigation facilities, rice and other crops and livestocks are placed at P80-million.

In related developments, the continuous flooding in key areas in Northern Mindanao brought about by the tail-end of a cold front has damaged at least P1.7 billion worth of properties, according to the RDCC and Office of Civil Defense in Region 10.

Damages to household was put at P70 million, crops at P85 million and other agricultural products at P5.8 million, RDCC figures showed.

OCD also pegged the number of houses totally destroyed at 671 and houses partially damaged at 2,309.

There were seven deaths recorded and three missing.

This, as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued a bulletin Friday warning of landslide and flash floods due to the tail-end of a cold front that is continuing to affect Eastern and Northern Mindanao.

“Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers becoming widespread rains over Eastern and Northern Mindanao and Eastern Visayas which may trigger flash floods and landslides,” the bulletin said.

“The eastern section of Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered light rains,” it continued, adding that the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rains.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over the entire archipelago and the coastal waters will be moderate to rough.

Because of this, Pagasa advised fishing boats and small seacraft not to venture out to sea due to big waves while advising larger seacraft to be on the alert for big waves.