At least 16 houses were damaged while over 200 families were temporarily displaced after flash floods and landslides hit several villages in Koronadal City, including portions of the main commercial center, on Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Eliordo Ogena said over RMN-Koronadal Wednesday a major creek and tributaries traversing the city overflowed past 4:30 p.m. following over two hours of heavy rains, submerging several lowland areas.
He said huge volumes of floodwaters coming from the upland villages caused the Bulok Creek, the city’s main natural waterway, to swell and triggered heavy flooding in various housing communities, the city’s round ball area, old city hall compound and portion of the main public market.
The mayor said the floods specifically affected portions of Barangays San Isidro, Zone 3, Zone 1, Mambucal, Sta. Cruz and Gen. Paulino Santos.
A major landslide also hit a portion of Barangay Assumption, affecting at least two communities but no casualties were reported, he said.
“There were recorded evacuations but most of the affected residents have already returned to their homes as of this morning,” Ogena said in a radio interview.
The mayor said that in Barangay San Isidro, 16 houses made of light materials were damaged by a flash flood that swept a community in Puroks Urban Gamay and Daku, which were situated beside two converging creeks.
He said around 150 families were affected by the floods in the area and they took temporary shelter at the barangay gymnasium on Tuesday night while two households remained in a day care center.
Three classrooms of the Bacongco National High School in the same village sustained various damages after being hit by a fallen 30-year-old Acacia tree, he said.
Ogena said three households were affected by the floods in Barangay Mambucal, 31 in three sites in Barangay Zone 3 and 33 more in Purok Magsaysay, Barangay Gen. Paulino Santos.
In Barangay Assumption, he said 46 families from Sitio Lower Ladol and Datal Pitak were evacuated to safer areas due to a landslide, which will reportedly “take about three days to clear.”
Aside from these, he said there were also reported damages to agricultural crops and lost farm animals but the assessment is still ongoing.
Ogena said the local government, through the City Social Welfare and Development Office, already distributed food packs to the evacuees.
He said they will also provide additional relief assistance to the families who lost their homes due to the flashflood.
The mayor added that he will convene the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council within the day to further assess the situation and address the other needs of the affected residents.
(Source: MindaNews)
