ILOILO – The goal in every disaster preparation and response is to achieve zero casualty.
This has not been realized in Western Visayas when Tropical Depression “Agaton” unleashed heavy rains beginning April 10.
Yesterday, there were two confirmed deaths in the region. Three more were being verified.
One casualty was a resident of flood-hit Barangay Dulangan, Pilar, Capiz – Rodolfo Bacolod, 34.
While crossing a river on April 11, Bacolod was swept away by raging waters and drowned, according to Cindy Ferrer, information officer of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6.
Bacolod’s body was found by two fishermen the next day, also in Barangay Dulangan.
The other casualty was confirmed by Mayor Jon Aying of Sara, Iloilo – 62-year-old Florentino Dema-ala of Barangay Ardemil, Sara.
Dema-ala drowned in floodwaters on Monday afternoon.
The three others being verified were a man in Barangay Suclaran, San Lorenzo, Guimaras; a missing teenager in Sara, Iloilo; and another missing person in Mambusao, Capiz.
NUMBER OF DISPLACED BALLOONS
The OCD-6 on Tuesday reported that flooding due to “Agaton” already affected 12,989 families or 59,944 persons from 110 barangays in four out of six provinces in the region.
These families were in Iloilo, Capiz, Negros, and Aklan provinces.
According to Ferrer, 4,322 families or 18,501 persons were staying in 280 evacuation centers while 2,006 families or 8,836 individuals sought shelter with relatives.
Also, 16 rain-induced landslides were recorded – eight in Capiz, six in Iloilo, and one each in Negros Occidental and Aklan.
OCD-6 has yet to receive reports on damage to infrastructures.
The heavy rains and floods were concentrated in Capiz and northern Iloilo similar to the track of Typhoon “Ursula” in 2019, Ferrer said.
“Agaton” will continue to dampen parts of the country, while tropical cyclone “Basyang” (international name: “Malakas”) already left the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Tuesday afternoon.
“Agaton” packs maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 75 kph. It is almost stationary over Llorente, Eastern Samar.
This will continue to bring moderate to heavy, with at times intense rains over Eastern Visayas, Sorsogon, Masbate, the northern and central portions of Cebu including Bantayan and Camotes Islands, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Antique, Guimaras, and the northern and central portions of Negros provinces. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
