Heavy almost non-stop rains Friday, January 8, and early today, January 9, triggered floods that killed one, caused thousands of residents in northern Negros Occidental to evacuate and rendered some roads impassable for several hours.
Disaster response workers in the early hours today, January 9, were rescuing residents trapped in flood-hit areas as waters rose quickly.
Marvito Yap Lumanog, 43, was found dead this morning after his flood-hit house made of light materials fell on him in Hacienda San Herman, Barangay Guimbalaon, Silay City, Mayor Mark Golez said.
The third district of Negros Occidental was hit by floods on January 1 and residents had barely finished cleaning up their houses when the waters rose again on Friday, January 8.
The floods today and yesterday were worst, they hit wider areas and the water was deeper, Victorias Mayor Francis Palanca said.
On January 1, floods hit Talisay, Silay and Victorias cities and EB Magalona town. The floods on Friday and today hit those areas again, as well as Bacolod City, and Cadiz, Sagay and Escalante cities in the second and first districts of Negros Occidental.
Palanca said aside from the floods triggered by the rains the Malogo River overflowed hitting the relocation site in Victorias City.
“We evacuated the whole relocation site,” Palanca said, adding that they are still determining how many houses were destroyed and damaged.
Initial reports showed that 1,197 families with 5,985 members had evacuated in Victorias, City Administrator Dino Acuña said.
Mayor Neil Lizares said as of noon today 2,895 families had been evacuated in Talisay City and 13,243 residents were affected by the flooding.
Twelve houses were destroyed and 17 were damaged in Talisay City, initial reports showed.
The mayor immediately provided assistance to the flood victims.
An appeal was also made to the public to donate used clothes and relief goods to the flood victims.
In Silay City, 2,402 persons (600 families) were affected by the floods 1,941 (591 families) were evacuated, Golez said.
The floods also destroyed six houses and passageways, and damaged 14 other houses, he added.
Mayor Alfredo Marañon III said floods also hit barangays Paraiso, Fabrica, Poblacion 2, Rafaela Barrera, Malubon and Rizal in Sagay City. A small landslide was also reported in Fabrica, he said.
They are still collecting data on the number of people affected by the floods and on the destruction of houses in Sagay, Marañon said.
Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said 162 families with 712 individuals were affected by the floods in Cadiz City.
One house was also destroyed and one was damaged in Cadiz City, the mayor said.
In Escalante City, rescuers rescued trapped residents in Barangay Jonobjonob.
Many barangays and thoroughfares in Bacolod City were also flooded Friday, January 8.
A Negrense Volunteers for Change team delivered 15,000 Mingo meals to the flood-hit areas.*