ILIGAN CITY —– Around one hundred individuals were evacuated early dawn on Monday (January 11) after a flash flood rampaged through three barangays of Tubod municipality, Lanao del Norte, following continuous rains that started Sunday evening.
Vicmar Paloma, head of the Tubod Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said the local government unit conducted forced evacuation of families living in low lying areas in five puroks (zones) of three barangays after flood waters rose following the heavy rainfall.
These barangays are Poblacion (one purok), Pigcarangan (two puroks) and Tangueguiron (two puroks).
Ten families composed of 33 individuals from Barangay Poblacion took shelter at the main evacuation center inside the premises of the municipal hall with other families from barangays Pigcarangan and Tangueguiron, Paloma said.
The flash flood started at 1:30 am Monday and also triggered a landslide that felled a big tree and covered one lane of the road, blocking traffic in the Tangueguiron area.
“Mga 45 minutes gyud to nabara ang traffic. Na clear ra dayun sa mga opisyal sa barangay, LGU Tubod, sa PDRRMO (Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Lanao del Norte), PNP (Philippine National Police) ug Philippine Army,” Paloma said.
Electricity in Tangueguiron and Pigcarangan was cut off around 5:00 am but was restored at noontime, according to Paloma.
The flood waters subsided around 6:00 AM Monday and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) distributed emergency food packs to the families at the evacuation center.
“Pwede na sila manguli kung mahuman na og limpyo ilang mga balay, ihatud sila sa LGU. Pasalamat pud ta sa MSWDO kay dali pud sila naka responde sa mga panginahanglanon sa mga namakwit,” Paloma said.
(They can go home once they finished cleaning their houses. They will brought home by the LGU. We thank the MSWDO for quickly responding to the needs of those we evacuated.)
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