SEVERAL residents in the Bunawan District in Davao City were forcibly evacuated on Friday morning, July 9, as flood water reached waist level due to heavy downpour Thursday night, July 8.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported around 10 a.m. street flooding along National Highway (Davao-Agusan Road), Task Force Checkpoint, Brgy. Lasang, Bunawan District. The floodwater has reached above ankle level and was passable to light vehicles.
CDRRMO, along with other auxiliary agencies, conducted preemptive evacuations following the reported overflow of Licanan Creek in Purok Virgo, Sitio Licanan in Lasang, wherein floodwater has reached waist level and impassable to all types of vehicles.
Reported creek overflow in Purok 4 and 5 of Brgy. San Isidro were also reported wherein floodwater has reached above ankle level and impassable to light types of vehicles.
CDRRMO also reported street flooding along National Highway (Davao-Agusan Road), Task Force Checkpoint, Brgy. Lasang, Bunawan District. By 11:32 a.m., floodwater reached waist level and had resulted in traffic congestion.
Several commuters and motorists were temporarily stuck in the area while others have been advised to avoid this area.
CDRRMO Head Alfredo Baluran said in a radio interview on Friday morning, July 9, that Thursday night's flooding was due to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) bringing moderate to heavy rains with possible lightning and strong winds.
Intermittent light to moderate to occasionally heavy rains are being experienced in some areas of Calinan, Agdao, and Buhangin Districts, while light rains are being experienced in some areas of Talomo District.
Due to the water level increase (Code Red or critical level) of the Matina River (Barangay. Matina Pangi river channels), the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Centers of Barangays Matina Crossing and Matina Aplaya were also advised to preposition resources and closely monitor their area.
Baluran said the ITCZ in the city is expected to last until Saturday, July 10.
The CDRRMO head reported 32 families composed of 104 individuals, who are residents nearby Bunawan River, were evacuated.
CDRRMO reported no missing persons or casualties brought by the flood as of writing.
"Sayo ‘ta naghatag og information sa ila. Gipasa nato ang information nato tungod na-monitor nato ang pagdako sa tubig didto banda sa Paquibato area pa. Na-monitor na nato nga makaapekto sa maong mga lugar (We gave instructions and orders on the ground level earlier because we were able to monitor an increasing water level along the riverbanks in Paquibato. We were also able to monitor that this would affect those in the downtown area)," Baloran said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio on Friday afternoon.
Baloran also confirmed that there was a reported landslide incident in Paquibato, but he said no residents were affected nor evacuated.
Police Major Noel Villahermosa, Bunawan Police State chief, said that the Bunawan area has been passable to light vehicles as of 1 p.m.
Villahermosa said that residents nearby riverbanks in Licanan and Purok 2-A were still not allowed to return to their residences due to high water levels.
Due to the increased water level in the area, traffic congestion reached the boundary of Tibungco both northbound and southbound.
Hassle
A resident in Bunawan told SunStar Davao in an interview that their area does not usually experience heavy flooding.
He said they were surprised that the level of flood was almost above knee considering last night's rain was not that strong.
Meanwhile, Facebook user Isabella Amber Ditchilla Samaco shared in her post videos and photos of vehicles struggling to get out of the mud in Purok 24, Sagrada in Malagamot, Panacan, Davao City.
Samaco said this has been an ongoing problem in their area, especially every rainy season.
"Sukad giguba ug giayo ang duha ka tulay diria sa Malagamot, hangtod karon wala gihapon na human ug pag-ayo. Giguba ning tulay una pa magsugod ang pandemic. Unya ang mga dalan gibangag-bangagan unya human byaan. Paita (The two bridges in our area have been reconstructed but have yet to be finished. The reconstruction began prior to the pandemic. They have drilled holes into our roads to reconstruct it but they left as it is)," she said.
Samaco also said the area of the constructed road has no clear detour from both lanes.
She called out the attention of their Barangay and the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) to take action.
SunStar Davao is currently contacting the concerned offices regarding this matter. However, it has yet to get a response from the offices nor their spokespersons. RGL