|
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Davao del Sur floods kill 2, displace 1,000
DAVAO CITY -- Flashfloods whipped by strong winds and sudden heavy rain killed two men and sent 1,000 residents fleeing their southern Philippine riverside village, an official said Friday.
About 15 stranded residents were rescued from a tiny islet in Bansalan town in Davao del Sur Thursday evening when the water in Miral River suddenly rose several feet, said Bansalan Mayor Edwin Reyes.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Two men drowned in the flood, the mayor said.
One of the victims was identified as Victor Boyo, a market helper of Poblacion Uno who was described to be in his late 30s. He was carried away by the floodwaters when he tried to cross Miral River, which overflowed around 5:30 p.m.
Residents recovered Boyo's body near a bridge at the boundary of Barangay Poblacion Uno and Barangay New Clarin around 9 p.m.
The other victim, however, remains unidentified.
On Friday, residents were also trying to recover an old man and a boy who were reportedly engulfed by rampaging waters of the same river.
Mayor Reyes said the floods were triggered by a squall followed by a heavy downpour that destroyed at least 50 houses in the village of Poblacion Dos, on the foothills of Mt. Apo, the Philippines' tallest mountain.
About 200 families had to be evacuated to a gymnasium in the town center and five of them, including children, were slightly injured in the rush to flee, added Reyes.
It was the third time since August last year that Bansalan town had been hit by flashfloods.
Roderick Milana, head of the provincial disaster agency, said the government recently approved funding for construction of river and flood control infrastructure in the town.
The heavy downpour Thursday was brought about by an easterly wave currently affecting the eastern parts of Mindanao and Visayas, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said in its report.
Based on satellite images presented by Pag-asa, heavy clouds were seen hovering over the area of Davao City and its neighboring provinces. Similar weather conditions would prevail over the weekend.
Traffic snarled and thousands of Dabawenyos were stranded Thursday night after a heavy downpour, which lasted for more than three hours, flooded most of Davao City's main thoroughfares and side streets.
The downtown area was completely inundated with knee-deep floodwaters just a few minutes after the heavy downpour started.
The streets of F. Torres, Jacinto extension corner Quirino Avenue, the Davao Light portion of J.P. Laurel Avenue, and the whole stretch of Quimpo Boulevard were also submerged by floodwaters.
After the rain, rush hour traffic turned heavy and commuters started filling the streets.
A number of multicabs broke down on the middle of the streets, causing monstrous traffic.
"It's my worst experience. Dati may baha but it won't last long. Ngayon grabe. It took three hours for me to reach the downtown area from Lanang dahil sa traffic," said Ricky Nalangan, a medical representative. (Nelson Bagaforo and Carlo P. Mallo of Sun.Star Davao/With AP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (June 7, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Arroyo signs cheaper medicines bill 