BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A second wave of massive flooding triggered by hours of moderate to heavy rains hit northern Negros Occidental barely a week after the same areas were inundated by floodwaters.
At least two people were killed while tens of thousands fled their homes late Friday night and early Saturday morning, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD).
Similar to what took place in the early morning of New Year’s Day, non-stop rains plus an impending high tide prompted authorities in the cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias, and the town of E.B. Magalona to call for a preemptive evacuation.
However, many were unable to flee in time and were trapped in their homes after waters rose neck-deep and even higher in some barangays.
A massive rescue effort was later launched in the affected areas participated by various government agencies such as the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices.
Based on data released by the PDMPD, a total of 2,964 families composed of 13,588 individuals from 16 barangays in Talisay City were evacuated.
Talisay City also confirmed one casualty identified as 50-year-old Ulyses Escamilla who had wounds on the head.
Escamilla’s remains were found yesterday morning at a pond in Barangay Zone 11.
In Silay City, a total of 2,402 individuals were affected – 1,941 of whom were evacuated.
One casualty was also reported – 43-year-old Marvito Yap Lumanog.
The victim’s body was found buried inside the wreckage of his house which collapsed due to the flood.
Meanwhile, in the town of E.B. Magalona, at least three barangays were affected and several residents sought shelter to the town’s evacuation centers.
Further down north in Victorias City, around 5,985 individuals fled their homes after the Malogo River overflowed.
The city’s relocation site was hit hard by the floods, according to local authorities.
Aside from the 3rd District, the town of Manapla and the cities of Cadiz, Sagay, and Escalante also experienced flash floods.
The highway linking Escalante to San Carlos City was rendered impassable to both light and heavy vehicles for several hours.
Several residents in Escalante City’s Barangay Jonobjonob were also trapped but and later rescued by authorities.
As of yesterday morning, most of the affected residents returned home after floods subsided.
Several non-government organizations in the province have also launched a relief effort for the affected residents.
Authorities are still on alert as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecasted cloudy skies with rain showers due to the tail end of a frontal system over the Visayas.
Earlier, Rep. Francisco Benitez of the 3rd District with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson launched a dredging operation in Victorias as part of the response to the Jan. 1 flash floods that affected some 15,000 families and destroyed and damaged hundreds of houses in Talisay, Silay, Victorias and E.B. Magalona.
More than P20 million in damage and losses to agro-fishery and livestock were also reported after the New Year’s Day floods.
Talisay and Victorias were placed under a state of calamity by their respective city councils on Wednesday and Thursday last week, respectively./PN
