BACOLOD City – A fisherman has been reported missing while more than 4,000 families have been displaced as Tropical Cyclone “Crising”, enhanced by the southwest monsoon, brought heavy rains and triggered widespread flooding and landslides in Negros Occidental this week.
According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the missing individual is a 30-year-old fisherman from Sagay City who failed to return after heading out to sea on July 17. Search and rescue operations were ongoing.
The PDRRMO’s situational report, as of 11 a.m. on July 18, also stated that a total of 4,227 families, or 11,688 individuals, across 13 local government units (LGUs) have been affected by the weather disturbance.
The affected LGUs include Hinoba-an and Ilog with five barangays each; Cauayan, Binalbagan, Candoni, and Moises Padilla with four barangays each; Isabela with nine; Sipalay and Hinigaran with six each; Kabankalan City with 11; Himamaylan City with seven; Pontevedra with eight; and Calatrava with one barangay affected.
These areas, mostly in southern Negros Occidental, have experienced continuous heavy rainfall since July 16, resulting in flooding and several reported landslides.
Families forced to evacuate were temporarily relocated to designated evacuation centers, while others have started returning to their homes as floodwaters began to recede. Relief efforts were ongoing, with LGUs, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), distributing food packs and sleeping kits to affected residents.
Meanwhile, the PDRRMO also confirmed two fatalities in Hinoba-an due to electrocution. The victims were a 36-year-old house helper from Basay, Negros Oriental, and a 40-year-old painter from Barangay Talacagay. Authorities said the house helper accidentally touched a clothesline in contact with a live wire, and the painter was electrocuted while trying to help her.
Officials continued to monitor the situation closely and urged residents to remain alert and prepared for possible further weather-related incidents./PN