ILOILO City – Nearly 10,000 people across Western Visayas have been displaced by relentless rains dumped by the southwest monsoon, forcing hundreds of families into evacuation centers as flood-damaged homes, disrupted transport and inundated communities stretched disaster response efforts across the region.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), in Situational Report No. 4 as of 2 p.m. Sunday, July 12, reported that 2,978 families or 9,592 individuals had been affected by the weather disturbance. Of these, 128 families or 360 persons were staying inside 24 evacuation centers, while 134 families or 385 persons were temporarily sheltered with relatives and friends.
Antique suffered the biggest impact, with 98 affected barangays and 2,413 families or 8,003 persons affected.
Aklan recorded 11 affected barangays involving 498 families or 1,394 persons, while Iloilo logged eight affected barangays with 67 families or 195 persons.
To accommodate displaced residents, local governments opened evacuation centers throughout the region.
Antique activated 18 evacuation centers housing 74 families or 225 individuals, Iloilo established two evacuation centers serving 37 families or 86 individuals, while Aklan operated four evacuation centers sheltering 17 families or 49 persons.
Meanwhile, 77 families or 174 persons in Aklan, 52 families or 188 persons in Antique, and five families or 23 persons in Iloilo sought temporary refuge with relatives and friends.
The prolonged rains also disrupted transportation and damaged critical infrastructure across the region. The RDRRMC reported 13 damaged road sections and one bridge.
Although all affected roads and the bridge in Antique have since become passable, one damaged road in Iloilo remains open only to single-lane traffic.
Sea travel and land transport likewise took a hit, leaving 245 passengers stranded along with 118 rolling cargoes, particularly in Aklan, as adverse weather conditions interrupted normal operations.
The disaster also left a trail of destruction in residential communities, with 113 houses reported damaged across the region.
Antique recorded the highest number with 90 partially damaged and seven totally destroyed houses. Iloilo reported seven partially damaged and two totally destroyed homes, while Aklan sustained seven partially damaged houses.
Even before conditions worsened, authorities carried out preemptive evacuations in Guimaras, moving 50 families or 300 individuals to safer locations.
To support affected residents, government agencies have so far released P1,483,776.08 worth of emergency assistance benefiting 1,329 families in Aklan, Antique and Iloilo.
Meanwhile, the severe weather also turned deadly after a rain-induced landslide struck Sitio Sidlangan, Barangay Nagba, Tubungan, Iloilo, killing a 68-year-old farmer whose home was buried by mud and debris.
Authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage as local governments and disaster response agencies sustain relief and recovery operations across Western Visayas./PN
