700 evacuated due to incessant rains, floods in Caraga region

MANILA -- Hundreds of residents in Surigao del Norte were evacuated due to the continuous rains and floods in several areas in the Caraga region brought by the tail-end of the cold front, the state disaster agency said Thursday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 141 families or 700 people from the town of Tubod and Butuan City were affected and displaced by the floodings.

In Surigao del Sur, the villages of Sumo-sumo, Tago and San Miguel were also flooded along with some parts of Barangay Hinayhayan and Sitio Tagmalino, Cagwait.

Meanwhile, the Provincial DRRMC in Dinagat Islands raised Alert Level 1 due to continuous rains in the past 36 hours.

The City DRRMC in Butuan also raised Alert Level 2 after the water level in the Agusan River rose to 2.70 meters above sea level on Thursday afternoon.

The rains that brought the floods in the Caraga region were effects of the tail-end of the cold front, the NDRRMC said.

In its final update on Thursday, the agency said the tail-end of the cold front is affecting Visayas and Mindanao, particularly the Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions and the provinces of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Cebu.

The NDRRMC advised residents in the said areas to take precautionary measures as the reported weather system is expected to bring thunderstorms and moderate to heavy rains (5 to 15 millimeters per hour), which could trigger flashfloods and landslides. (Emmanuel
Louis Bacani/Sunnex)