Flood-hit Zamboanga del Sur town declares state of calamity

RAGING WATER’S CASUALTY This river control structure in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur, is destroyed by the raging floodwater that swept through the town on Saturday. —KUMALARANG MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

PAGADIAN CITY—Kumalarang town in Zamboanga del Sur has been placed under a state of emergency following the severe flooding that affected 1,300 households in at least five of its barangays on Saturday, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) reported.

The Sangguniang Bayan on Monday adopted the resolution declaring the town under a state of calamity based on the recommendation made by the Municipal DRRMO (MDRRMO) during an emergency meeting on Sunday.

Saturday’s widespread flooding was triggered by the continuous rains spawned by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) affecting Mindanao over the weekend.

WAIST DEEP Some residents of Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur wade through waist-deep water to flee from their flooded houses. —KUMALARANG MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

The floods in Kumalarang happened at about the same time that four towns in Maguindanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro region were also submerged in floodwater due to torrential rains spawned by the ICTZ, displacing over 30,000 persons.

Swollen rivers

Kumalarang Mayor Ruel Molina on Monday said the flooding started Saturday afternoon after the rise of the water level of Kumalarang’s two big waterways, the Secade and Kumalarang Rivers. Affected barangays included Poblacion, Secade, Boyugan East, Bogayo and Gawil.

Ronnie Villanueva, chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial DRRMO, said food packs provided by the provincial government were immediately distributed to at least 1,300 households affected by the floods.

Among the infrastructure that sustained heavy damage was a river control structure in the town’s Barangay Boyugan East, a project requested by Molina from the national government but has yet to be turned over by its contractor to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

EVACUATION CENTER NO MORE This municipal covered court in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur has been identified as an evacuation center for residents displaced by calamities but even this building is now submerged in water following intense rains on Saturday. —KUMALARANG MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

Even mosques and Christian churches were not spared from the flood that reached 2 meters high in some areas, according to the MDRRMO.

The disaster response body also registered newly harvested rice, corn and copra among the damaged crops.

The municipal government-owned buildings, including the Rural Health Unit, public market, the municipal covered court and the ground floor of the municipal hall have been submerged in floodwaters since Saturday.

On Monday, the MDRRMO was still conducting an overall assessment of all the damages caused by the floods, while receiving donations that poured in from groups and individuals from the neighboring towns.