FOUR persons died as heavy rains swelled waterways and caused landslides in parts of Misamis Oriental, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) officer-in-charge Fernando Dy said.
Dy said 1,654 families or 6,827 individuals were either ordered or voluntarily evacuated. But as of Tuesday morning, about 80 percent of them had gone back to their homes.
He added the Provincial Social Welfare and Development prepared 1,315 food packs for the displaced families.
The casualties were identified as Jaime Chan, 3, Agay-ayan village and Nilo Quiloman, 54, Santiago village, all of Gingoog City; Kian Montecino, 10, Awang village, Opol; and CJ Lapuz, 7, Mahayahay village, Magsaysay.
A certain Abel Uano from Medina town is still missing.
The towns of Lugait, Manticao, and Medina as well as Gingoog City were badly hit.
The state of calamity has been declared in Lugait and Lagonglong towns.
Dy said they are finalizing the recommendation to be submitted to Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano, which will be the basis for declaring the entire province under a state of calamity.
The PDRRMC also reported landslides in Naawan, Sugbongcogon, Magsaysay towns and Gingoog City.
Dy said clearing operations conducted by the engineering department is ongoing.
The initial damage assessment for infrastructure in the province was pegged at more than P1 million.
As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, around 1,624 families or 6,707 individuals are taking shelter at various evacuation centers after preemptive evacuation took effect at 5 p.m. Monday.
Dy said five teams were formed to take charge of providing assistance to the families in the evacuation centers.
He urged all municipal disaster offices to continue reporting the situations in every town so that the Provincial Capitol could assess the kind of assistance and help needed.
The National Government announced Tuesday that it is exhausting all means to properly rehabilitate the victims of flooding in Northern Mindanao.
“Government is doing everything to ensure that things go back to normal, especially now that the weather is improving and roads are again passable,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
Abella said according to the information relayed by National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), response at the local government unit and agency level was manageable and did not require the NRRMC to step in.
The presidential spokesperson said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is now providing assistance to families affected by flooding.
He added the DSWD is ready to augment relief supplies as needed.
“The DSWD Field Office [in Northern Mindanao] has 3,200 bags of rice prepositioned in Misamis Occidental, Camiguin Islands, Iligan and Bukidnon. DSWD also has 9,000 family food packs, 2,000 dignity kits and a stand-by fund of P7 million. The dignity kits and family food packs will be sent today to affected families,” Abella said. (With a report from VoxPop Philippines)
