Some residents sent out text messages for help from their rooftops as flood waters rose in Victorias City early this morning, the first day of 2021.
The flooding that hit Talisay, Silay and Victorias cities and EB Magalona in the third district of Negros Occidental was triggered by heavy rain and the high tide, Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, said.
The flooding affected 4,320 families, initial reports showed.
“We even had a fireworks display to usher in the New Year at the city plaza, the flooding caught everybody by surprise after midnight,” Victorias Mayor Francis Palanca told DIGICAST NEGROS.
“It was raining in the hinterlands for days, the soil has been soaked, so we were hit by runoff water,” he added.
Many houses were flooded in ten barangays in Victorias City and three were destroyed. At Canetown Subdivision, some people sought refuge on rooftops, and cars were covered in water, Palanca added.
An initial report showed that 413 families or 1,508 individuals had evacuated in Victorias City. As the water began to subside some residents began to return home, he said.
In Silay City, flooding hit barangays I, II, V, Hawaiian, E. Lopez, Guinhalaran, Lantad, Mambulac, and Rizal affecting 133 families or 403 individuals, and 296 were staying at evacuation centers, an initial report furnished by Mayor Mark Golez showed.
In Talisay City, flood waters hit houses in barangays Bubog, Zone 1, 2, 3, 10, 16, and 12 affecting 3,467 families, Mayor Neil Lizares said.
In EB Magalona, flashfloods hit barangays Tanza, San Jose, Santo Niño, Consing, Latasan, and San Isidro affecting 307 households, Mayor Marvin Malacon said.
Water was waist-high in Tanza, he added.*