‘Sendong’ survivors flooded again at relocation site

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

AT LEAST 11 families at the Tent City 2 in Sitio Calaanan, Barangay Canitoan, spent the night on Monday at the covered court and the Kalahi Training center after their tents were submerged in water due to continuous rains since Sunday.

The families, who were survivors of the flash flood from Tropical Storm Sendong in December, were forced to evacuate out of fear when the water level rose to knee-deep. Those with small children were housed at the Kalahi Training Center.

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Elvira Bagongon, 31, who occupied Tent 31, said they hardly slept Monday night to monitor the possible rise of water.

CAGAYAN DE ORO. Survivors of Tropical Storm Sendong suffered another trauma when the tents they are temporarily staying at the relocation site in Barangay Canitoan were submerged in water Monday evening due to continuous rains. (Michael Andrew W. Yu)

She said they hang some of their belongings to prevent them from getting wet.

“The mattress we were using got wet. We were scared since we have been flooded before and now that we are here, we are flooded again,” Bagongon told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

However, Councilor Alexander Dacer said there is nothing to worry since the knee-deep water is not caused by a flood.

“It’s not flood. The water clogged due to continuous rain. But the water already subsided and the affected families have been taken cared of,” Dacer said.

City Engineer Mario Batar admitted in a television interview Tuesday afternoon that the drainage constructed in the area is so small that it cannot accommodate huge bulk of water.

With this, Bagongon urged the City Government to do something to allay their fears, especially since the weather unstable the past few days.

She said the waterways near the area should be widened for rainwater to flow freely into the creek.

Batar said they are doing their best to solve the problem.