Iligan City (September 15)– Four houses were destroyed in Malabang town in Lanao del Sur as typhoon “Ompong” (International name: “Mungkhat”) started to swiftly move in Luzon, Friday night, September 14.
Saripada Lucman Pacasum, Lanao del Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, confirmed the report of the Police Regional Office – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-ARMM) that the damaged houses in Barangay Baguaingud were due to flash floods.
Typhoon Ompong, although not directly affecting Lanao del Sur province, have displaced some families with its heavy rains and strong winds. For two hours, the main road became impassable after the river overflowed.
“Our MDRRMO (Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer) in the area did not allow the motorists to cross the bridge and hold them for about two hours until it was cleared,” Pacasum said.
The barangays of Punong, Mapantao, and Ilian in the town of Picong were also flooded but it left no destructions and casualties. As of Saturday morning, the fisherfolks of Lake Lanao were all accounted for and allowed to continue fishing.
“We would like to announce that we were able to surpass the latest calamity with zero-casualty. There was no casualty because three days ago, the fishermen were advised not to go offshore because of the risks presented by the enhanced southwest monsoon. Good thing, they listened to us,” Pacasum added.
Aside from Malabang and Picong towns, landslides also occurred in Calanogas and some uprooted trees blocked the main road but were cleared by the MDRRMO in less than an hour.
Lanao del Sur is still recovering from the huge destructions brought by severe tropical storm Vinta in December last year that left 18 residents dead.-Divina Suson/ NewsLine
