HEAVY rains have triggered floods and wind surge in some localities in Negros Occidental Monday, July 16.

Classes were suspended in flood-prone barangays in Binalbagan town.

Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, head of Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division, said the wind surge hit 20 houses in Bago City and Valladolid.

In Barangay Sagua Banwa, Valladolid, six houses were destroyed while 10 houses were damaged due to wind surge which triggered big waves. However, no evacuation was reported.

In Bago City, strong winds also damaged four houses and affected 15 individuals in Purok Balinghoy, Barangay Busay. The affected families took a temporary shelter at the barangay hall yesterday.

In Moises Padilla, one family with six individuals was affected by the flooding of Kaburotan Creek in Barangay 7. They evacuated at the Farmers Center on Sunday.

In Binalbagan, 11 families took refuge at the municipal building on July 15.

The heavy rains yesterday also caused three families with 11 individuals to evacuate from Purok Nara, Barangay San Teodoro, five families from Purok Alaska, Barangay San Vicente while in Purok Riverside, 138 individuals were affected by the flooding but there is no reported evacuation.

Caelian said that the suspension of classes in flood-prone areas in Binalbagan yesterday were from primary to secondary level.

He also said that heavy rains may continue until today when Tropical Depression Henry that triggers the Southeast monsoon is expected to go out of the country.

Residents of low-lying and mountainous areas are advised to continue monitoring for updates, coordinate with their local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and take appropriate actions against possible flooding and landslides, the state weather bureau said.