Maguindanao floods displace 25k persons
Breaking News • 14:59 PM Sun Aug 31, 2014
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By:
Maribeth Maribojo, Radyo Bida Cotabato
Photo courtesy Jo Henry, HEART-ARMM
COTABATO CITY (Sept.
1/NDBC) – About 25,000 persons have been affected by floods that hit 85
villages in Maguindanao’s 11 municipalities, the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) humanitarian office today said.
Lawyer Laisa Alamia,
ARMM executive secretary and chair of the Humanitarian Emergency Action Response
Team (HEART) told Radyo Bida Cotabato that despite floods brought about by
torrential rains the past few days in Maguindanao and nearby provinces, the
affected families did not leave their homes, though.
A boy was
reported killed in Blensong, Upi, Maguindanao after a landslide hit a farmer’s
home on Saturday. Three other family
members were hospitalized.
Affected
towns, based on HEART monitoring, were Mamasapano, Ampatuan, Shariff Saidona
Mustapha, Pagalungan, Datu Montawal, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Datu Paglat, Rajah
Buayan, Datu Piang, Sultan sa Baronggis and Sultan Kudarat.
Alamia said
aside from flooded homes, HEART also monitored some schools were also
underwater in Sultan sa Barongis, Mamasapano, Sultan Kudarat, Kabuntalan and
Datu Piang.
Also affected
were village health centers, rice fields and practically all that were situated
beside the Rio Grande de Mindanao.
Over the
weekend, HEART personnel went out of their way to distributed relief goods to
affected families. Each family received
food packs composed of rice, noodles and sardines.
Alamia said
her unit is set to visit Datu Montawal and Pagalungan towns where several
villagers had been underwater for days. (NDBC)