Floods hit Maguindanao, NorCot towns after Vinta
Local News • 12:15 PM Sun Dec 24, 2017
1,257
By:
Edwin O. Fernandez)
The Malabuaya Elementary School in Maguindanao is a perennial flooded zone in Maguindanao. (Photo by Wyncell Fernandez)
DATU MONTAWAL,
Maguindanao – At least 10 villages here have been submerged by flood
waters since Saturday dawn when the Kabacan River overflowed following the
landfall of Typhoon Vinta in northern Mindanao.
Some 15,000 individuals have been affected by the flood, many of
whom have evacuated beside the national highway linking North Cotabato and
Maguindanao, disaster officials said.
Residents who
have grown resilient to recurring floods every time heavy down pour hit
Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur quickly put up shanties at the roadside, making the
two-lane road network narrower.
The Kabacan
River which flows water toward the Maguindanao marshland emanates water from
Agusan River and Pulangi River in Bukidnon.
Baidido Atong,
a resident of Barangay Bulit, Datu Montawal, said her family prefers to stay at
the roadside fronting the family home which was already underwater since
Saturdaw dawn. We have nowhere to go, we will just wait for the water to
recede, she told the Inquirer.
Traffic along
portions of the national highway had been stalled for several hours as the
flood water overflowed through the concrete road.
The
Malitubog-Maridagao river also swelled at 5 a.m. inundating several villages in
Pikit, North Cotabato, affecting undetermined number of residents.
Several
passenger vans were struck in the flooded streets, deteriorating traffic
congestion. Motorists endured three hour
travel from Datu Montawal to Kabacan town in North Cotabato that they normally
traversed in five minutes.
As of 7 p.m.
Saturday, the flood water continues to rise, according to village official Kagi
Karon of Barangay Bulit.
The village of
Kayaga in Kabacan, North Cotabato was also submerged by floods, including vast
tract of rice fields.
Rice fields,
homes, and public schools in Barangay Malabuaya, Datu Montawal were also
submerged by floods. No reported casualty in the disaster.Photo below shows an elderly woman attends to personal valuables she hauled as water suddenly rose Saturday dawn. (Photo by Wyncell Fernandez) Image may contain 1 person sitting tree plant table and outdoor sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/26001064_1972738939419180_2509924001242155206_n.jpg?oh=07f5236a6d09bfcfd6c3923c68546d12:ampoe=5ACD1365 Photo by Wyncell Fernandez Image may contain one or more people sky outdoor and nature sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25550441_1972740346085706_5565876620340096813_n.jpg?oh=16ba638ef2c4f58d9210d3c1b21a7a69andampoe=5AB380C1