HUNDREDS of families in Negros Occidental were affected by floods brought by the two-day onslaught of Tropical Storm Basyang over the weekend.
The storm also left nearly 2,000 athletes, who participated in the Batang Pinoy National Championships, stranded in Bacolod City.
A report of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) showed that a total of 793 families in the northern Negros were displaced by floods.
In Silay City, 738 families were affected; Talisay City, 34; Cadiz City, 20; E.B. Magalona, two; and San Carlos City, 1.
Two houses were reported destroyed while 55 were damaged.
Liane Garcia, head of PSWDO, said those who evacuated stayed overnight in schools and barangay halls, but they returned to their respective houses on Saturday after the floods subsided.
Vice Mayor Samson Mirhan of Cadiz City, one of worst hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda in Negros Occidental, said that the city rescue team alerted the residents especially those living in the coastal areas to proceed to safer grounds in case of floods.
He said they have learned their lesson after the devastation of Yolanda in November last year. Of the 22 barangays in Cadiz City, 11 are located along the coastline.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Sunday that Basyang left three people dead and has affected more than 9,000 families in Visayas and Mindanao.
Jose Babatid and Danny Tundag, both residents of Cebu, died because of electrocution and drowning, respectively, while 66-year-old Dionesio Paler from Maasin City, Southern Leyte was found lifeless near a riverbank.
Out of 9,105 affected families, the NDRRMC said 1,130 or 5,646 individuals remain in evacuation centers.
Basyang, which weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility early Sunday, also caused 10 landslides, four massive flooding and a sea mishap.
Nearly 5,900 passengers were stranded in different ports in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Maasin, Catbalogan, Masbate, Cagayan de Oro, Surigao, Ozamis, Butuan, Dapitan, Bacolod, Caticlan, Batangas, Mamburao, Calapan and Romblon.
Some flights going to Visayas and Mindanao had to be canceled as well.
Despite Basyang’s downgrade into an LPA, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration alerted fishing boats and other small sea crafts against moderate to rough seas.
Basyang is the second storm to visit the Philippines this year. (With reports from Sunnex)