COTABATO CITY — At least 23 homes were destroyed by flash floods that hit at least six low lying villages in Kalamansig and Lebak, both in Sultan Kudarat Saturday night, officials said Sunday.
Mayor Ronan Garcia of Kalamansig said a three-day moderate to heavy downpour brought about by inter-tropical convergence zone affecting Mindanao that peaked Saturday night have flooded populated villages.
He said the floods have affected the villages of Poral, Obial, Limulan, Sta Maria, Hinalaan, and Cadiz. Floods also hit the Salaman and Poloy-Poloy in Lebak, also in Sultan Kudarat.
Garcia said as of 3:40 a.m. Sunday at least 4,255 families have been affected as listed by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“At least 23 houses were destroyed by flash floods,” Garcia said, adding the number may increase when all the reports come in.
The Limulan river have overflowed and flood water submerged low-lying villages at the downstream of the river following an overnight heavy downpour.
Officials said 37 families of the Manobo tribe living by the banks of the Limulan River in the American Land at Sta. Maria evacuated to the Zone of Peace and Development (ZOPAD) building in Sta. Maria Barangay Hall.
At the Poral beach, debris from the mountains, including dead animals, littered the coastline.
Disaster officials said power was cut in affected villages after trees fell on power lines during strong winds Saturday night in Barangay Limulan where the Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative Generators are located.
Garcia said flood waters reached as high as waist level. No fatality was reported so far.
Disaster and police officials continue to monitor the situation while rains continue in the mountains of Lebak and Kalamansig. PNA-northboundasia.com