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DAVAO CITY, Philippines – After the recent flooding and landslides in the region, Mindanao residents brace again for more rain as tropical depression Agaton threatens their communities.
State weather bureau PAGASA raised on Friday, January 17, Signal 1 in 7 provinces in Mindanao and one province in the Visayas. They are Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Province, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley in Mindanao, as well as Southern Leyte in the Visayas.
The storm signal warning came just as thousands of people fled rising floodwaters in a fresh round of evacuations in 3 Mindanao regions. The death toll from a week of bad weather rose to 34 Friday. (READ: Thousands flee more floods in Mindanao)
In Surigao del Norte, at least 600 families opted to stay in evacuation centers, particularly in the municipalities of Malimono and Mainit.
Surigao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Gilbert Gonzales said they are expecting the number of displaced residents to increase if the situation gets worse this weekend.
As of posting, the province was experiencing heavy rains with strong winds. Several areas in the province have been flooded for days already.
The provincial government has already prepared additional food packs for the evacuees.
Gonzales said classes from pre-school to elementary are already suspended in the province.
In Region 11, local government units (LGUs) that are still in the middle of providing relief to those affected by the low pressure area the past days are now shifting their efforts to prepare communities for Agaton.
Some areas just received relief after access was cut when bridges were destroyed and landslides covered roads with boulders and debris, especially in Davao Oriental.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 11 director Loreto Rirao said OCD and the LGUs are mobilizing all possible resources to ensure the safety of the residents and to minimize damages.
“Our emergency responders are now on standby in the region,” Rirao said.
He appealed to the residents to pay attention to advisories and obey the instructions of their local risk reduction and management councils.
Rirao also urged fisherfolk to avoid the sea this weekend.
The heavy weather has disrupted local aviation and shipping, with several dozen domestic flights cancelled over the past week and two ferries and a cargo vessel running aground off the central islands of Cebu and Bohol on Wednesday and Thursday. – with a report from Agence France Presse/Rappler.com
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