DAVAO CITY –— – The more than 400 families having 1,772 individuals from seven villages of Digos City, Davao del Sur, who fled their homes to a safer ground on Sunday night to due flashfloods have returned home safety on Monday.
In a report published by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Digos City Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) OIC Samuel Miralles, said that the residents were rescued on Sunday after their villages submerged during the flash floods after the heavy downpour around 7:30 pm last Sunday.
The Philippine News Agency reported that among the inundated villages are Tres de Mayo, Cogon, Sinawilan, Igpit, Aplaya, and Dawis, whose residents called for emergency responders as they could no longer get out from their houses due to raging waters.
Mayor Josef Cagas said CDRRMC vehicles as well as a team of personnel from the engineering department and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) were immediately dispatched to rescue the trapped residents.
Likewise, Cagas said emergency responders from far as Davao City and other neighboring municipalities in Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental also arrived Sunday evening to assist in the rescue operations.
Of the total number of families, 310 were accommodated overnight at the Digos City gymnasium, while 67 families were housed at Digos City National High School and 35 families were brought to Brgy. Igpit gymnasium.
There has been no reported casualty, stated Miralles in a phone interview.
The evacuees are residents of Barangays Aplaya, Zone 1, Dawis, Cogon, Zone 3, San Miguel, and Igpit.
There were also five families of Barangay Kapatagan who evacuated to Sitio Campo in said barangay.
The social services department immediately released sleeping kits, medicines, food and food packs were provided to the evacuees at the evacuation centers,upon the orders of Mayor Joseph Cagas who also sought support in the rescue operations from Davao Occidental provincial government.
As of Tuesday, the report said the CDRRMO teams have been dispatched to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) to determine the extent of damage to household properties and public structures in the affected areas who will be provided with assistance.
The City Engineer’s Office and CDRRMO personnel of the local government of Digos City have also checked on a landslide incident which occurred last night at Sitio Teril in Barangay Kapatagan, also due to heavy rains.
Miralles said that the road from the landslide area is still not passable as of this report.-with reports from PNA and PIA XI
