The body of Mejhon Cordero, 44, was found floating in the Pangiplan River in Barangay Payao, Binalbagan.* Philippine Red Cross photo
Four days of continuous heavy rains and widespread flooding in Negros Occidental, brought on by Tropical Storm Crising and the Southwest Monsoon, claimed four lives and affected 31,455 residents.
Residents who remained in evacuation centers were 22,652, a Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) report as of 11 a.m. Sunday said.
The four drowning victims were:
*Glen Francisco Trejero, 30, a fisherman from Barangay Old Sagay, Sagay City. He went missing at sea on Thursday and his body was recovered on Sunday.
*Mejhon Cordero, 44, of Hacienda Benedicto, Brgy. Cabadiangan, Himamaylan. His body was found floating in the Pangiplan River in Barangay Payao, Binalbagan, around noon Sunday. Cordero had been missing since Friday after falling into an overflow in Barangay Biao, Binalbagan.
*Daniel Agustin, 12, who suffered an epileptic episode and was swept away by strong currents while crossing an overflow in Sitio Mangahoykahoy, Brgy. Santol, Binalbagan, on Saturday.
*Asuncion Subong, 84, a person with disability, who drowned on the first floor of her flooded house in Sitio Bakyas, Brgy. San Jose, Binalbagan, on Thursday, July 17.
The floods had hit 139 barangays across 18 towns and cities in Negros Occidental, affecting 18,918 families with 31,455 members.
The areas hit include Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Binalbagan, Isabela, Sipalay City, Kabankalan City, Himamaylan City, Ilog, Candoni, Hinigaran, Calatrava, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Valladolid, La Castellana, Bago City, La Carlota City, and San Enrique.*