‘Auring’ brings heavy rains in Davao; 35 evacuated

DAVAO CITY -- Authorities alerted on Thursday residents in Davao del Norte towns for possible flooding following continuous rains brought by Tropical Storm "Auring" in the province since Wednesday morning.

The provincial disaster office also reported a person missing and some 35 families evacuated to safer grounds in Kapalong town.

Sonio Sanchez, Davao del Norte Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) officer, said search and rescue operation was ongoing Thursday on the 17-year-old man, who was reported missing after he jumped off a bridge in Kapalong in an attempt to save logs that were washed away by the swelling Libuganon River.

Provincial information officer Romulo Tagalo said the 35 families or 148 individuals were evacuated to the municipal gym of Kapalong after the Libuganon River overflowed Wednesday.

"Hangtud dughan ang tubig nga nag-overflow gikan sa Libuganon River. Subsiding na ang tubig pero dili lang gihapon passable ang dalan, (Libuganon River overflowed Wednesday. The water is now subsiding, but the road is still not passable)," said Tagalo.

Tagalo added that residents from 10 barangays in the municipality of Asuncion in Davao del Norte were also advised to evacuate. These included the barangays of Sagayen, Napungas, Doña Andrea, Canatan, Buclad, Tambanogoy, Magapos, New Bantayan, Kamuning and Sta. Filomena.

PDRRMC Davao del Norte, however, is yet to determine the number of families affected in Asuncion.

Sanches said the PDRRMC also alerted five flood-prone areas as municipal and city disaster management councils are activated when they monitored on the ground that various rivers were swelling with flood waters following continuous rains that started on New Year's Day.

Alerted were the municipalities of Talaingod, Carmen Kapalong, Asuncion, Santo Tomas and Tagum City.

The PDRRMC recommended a preemptive evacuation of people, especially those in downstream communities in the towns of Sto. Tomas and Carmen, which are traversed by Libuganon River.

Heavy rains in Davao del Norte and other provinces in Davao Region were brought by Tropical Storm Auring.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its 11 p.m. weather bulletin, said Auring is the first typhoon to visit the country this year.

At 10 p.m. Thursday, the center of Auring was estimated at 110 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa City, with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

Southern Palawan is placed under public storm warning signal number 2, while the rest of Palawan was under public storm warning signal 1.

Gerry Pedrico, Pagasa-Davao station chief, said Auring may be out of the country or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday evening. (With PNA/Sunnex)