DIPOLOG CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 25, 2012) – Heavy rains flooded 20 of 26 villages in the town of Siocon in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, officials said on Tuesday.
Mayor Cesar Soriano has appealed for food and blanket for thousands of people affected by flash floods. “We need food and blanket for those affected by the floods. Twenty of the town’s 26 villages are now underwater and roads are now impassable,” he told the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper.
Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, the regional army commander, said he sent troops to the town to help in the evacuation of families trapped in the floods. He said at least 400 families have been evacuated to safer grounds after heavy rains submerged many areas in Siocon.
He said some villages reported flood water as high as one meter. One bridge was partially damaged by the flood, he said. “Our troops are already in Siocon and commanders are closely coordinating with local government officials and the police to ensure the safety of civilians,” Cruz said.
He said at least 40 houses were totally destroyed by rampaging waters in the villages of Bucana, Makiang, Reconalla and Tamayo.
There were also reports of landslides in the neighboring town of Baligui-an and Gutalac and the road connecting them is also impassable, he said.
In Zamboanga City, local officials are mulling to declare a state of emergency after many villages were also hit by flash floods. Hundreds of families were also displaced by the floods. (Mindanao Examiner)
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