DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /29 December) — Two persons have been reported missing while 20 others were injured due to the floods in Davao Oriental and Davao Occidental provinces, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD-Davao) reported on Sunday.
The flooding, caused by Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), also destroyed 129 houses and partially damaged 188.
Karlo Alexie C. Puerto, information officer II of the Office of the Civil Defense-Davao, said the two missing persons were a 70-year-old female resident of Barangay Poblacion and a 37-year-old male resident of Barangay Poblacion in Malita town, Davao Occidental.
MindaNews requested additional details on the identity of the two missing persons but Puerto said such information was still unavailable as of 10:53 a.m. on Sunday.
Of the injured victims, 13 were residents of Barangay Poblacion, three in Barangay Kibalatong, one in Barangay Bolila, one in Barangay Fishing Village, and two in Barangay Mana in Malita town.
He said the flooding affected 13 towns in the two provinces due to the weather disturbance that started the evening of Dec. 26.
According to Puerto, 3,446 families or 13,979 individuals, were affected by the severe weather disturbance. Of this total, 3,408 families or 13,865 individuals, were from 23 barangays of Davao Occidental, and 38 families or 114 individuals, were from two barangays of Davao Oriental.
He said 793 families or 3,333 individuals took shelter at the evacuation centers.
Damage to infrastructure was also “significant,” with three road sections and four bridges affected. One road section in Barangay Bito and two bridges in Barangay Lais and Barangay Sangay are still impassable to vehicles, he said.
“In response to the ongoing crisis, OCD-11 is actively monitoring the area for potential augmentation of response teams and relief assistance. The agency continues to coordinate efforts to ensure the safety and support of affected residents as recovery efforts are initiated,” he said.
In its 11:00 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA said the shear line is expected to bring moderate to heavy rain in Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar today until Monday noon; moderate to heavy rain in Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, and Quezon from Monday noon until Tuesday noon; and moderate to heavy rain in Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur from Tuesday noon until Wednesday noon. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
