Heavy flooding hits Cagayan de Oro City

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Philippines News Agency) — The local weather bureau in Misamis Oriental has issued a rainfall warning Monday afternoon and cautioned people in Northern Mindanao that heavy rains would last four to five hours.

 

Mario Goya, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist based in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental, said that the low pressure area (LPA) was spotted in the Zamboanga Peninsula, but the heavy rain was concentrated in Northern Mindanao.

 

Disaster officials in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City scrambled as thousands of commuters, including students, were stranded by the chest-deep floodwaters in low-lying areas.

 

The city's disaster officials had advised students, particularly in flooded areas, to move to the school building's second level and wait for the arrival of rescue personnel.

 

Aside from the stranded commuters, hundreds of vehicles were also stuck in many flooded streets in the city causing a massive traffic jam.

 

As nightfall sits in, some houses in the village of Gusa were uprooted and destroyed by the raging floodwaters and rushing debris.

 

Vergel Lago, the city disaster official here, said that the city's rescue team has been dispatched to various areas in the city were flooding has been reported.

 

Landslide has also been reported in the city' west district while a whole family in the city's east district was rescued due to rising flood waters.

 

Marilyn Chavez, the communication officer of the city's power and light, said that half of the city has no electricity as the power firm has intentionally cut the power distribution in flooded areas as a safety measure.

 

Chaves said that only the power plant engineers would know when the light would return.