100 000 displaced due to floods in Caraga region, Philippines

As of January 30, 2017, successive weather system affecting the Caraga region, northeastern Philippines over the past two weeks have displaced about 100 000 people.

According to the ECHO, over 80 000 displaced people are in Agusan del Sur province. Local governments and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have distributed food packs, dignity kits and emergency shelter.

Four people have been confirmed killed in the province, where 10 towns remained flooded. According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), three of the four fatalities came from a single family.

Agusan del Sur is a catch basin of floods coming from nearby provinces including Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental.

The PDRRMO said floods from Butuan City in Agusan del Norte have yet to flow down to Agusan del Sur, GMA reported today.

On Sunday, January 29, GMA said forced evacuation and rescue operations are ongoing in several areas in the Caraga region. Several rivers burst their banks causing waist-deep to above-roof-level floods in several areas.

Floodwater has also swamped a national highway in Agusan del Sur's Rosario town.

"Residents in flooded towns of San Francisco and San Luis have been forced to use bamboo rafts as their means of transportation. Houses in some areas in the municipality of Lapaz have been submerged, especially those in Barangay Panagangan. Also, low-lying areas in Agusan del Norte's Buenavista town are flooded," GMA said.

On January 17, floods affecting Mindanao have left at least 7 people dead and one missing.

Featured image: Aftermath of floods in CDO. Credit: Snippet