First storm of the year affects 50,000 in Mindanao, infrastructure damage in regions

The government has dispatched rescue and relief operations in villages in Mindanao that remains flooded due to incessant rains induced by tropical storm Auring, which has so far displaced more than 50,000 people, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has reported.

Auring, the first storm to hit the country this year, made a landfall in Batag Island, Laoang, Northern Samar at around 9 a.m. on Monday and moved toward to the direction of Bicol region after drenching parts of Mindanao for two days, triggering massive flooding in Surigao del Sur.

While no report of casualty has so far been received by the NDRRMC, the storm, which has already dissipated into a tropical depression, has affected a total of 13,816 families, or 53, 236 individuals in 216 barangays in Regions 10, 11 and Caraga.

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The NDRRMC said another 16,059 families were also preemptively evacuated in Regions 7 and 8.

Coast Guard personnel, policemen and soldiers, along with other responders are attending to the needs of the affected residents while spearheading the rescue operations. The NDRRMC said that at least 179 houses were destroyed or damaged in Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte alone.

The Philippine Airlines also canceled 40 flights to the affected regions, while sea travels were also halted, stranding more than 4,000 passengers not only in ports in Mindanao and Visayas, but even in Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions.

The NDRRMC said flooding also closed at least five roads and a bridge to land travel in Mindanao.

Initial infra damage

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Monday the closure of two national road sections in Region 13, as tropical storm Auring damaged a bridge slope protection and caused a road slip.

Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said the two affected roads are sections of the Surigao-Davao Coastal Road, which had a scoured slope protection, and the Dinagat-Loreto Road, which was closed due to road slip.

The Surigao-Davao Coastal Road “will remain impassable until the water level in the area has subsided. In the meantime, the DPWH maintenance crew in the area have installed road safety devices to warn motorists/pedestrians,” a statement from the DPWH read.  

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Meanwhile, for the Dinagat-Loreto Road, the DPWH has installed barricades and signages for the safety of the public and avoid further damage on the road.

Other areas that were ravaged by the typhoon also had limited accessibility. These include road sections in Negros Occidental, Agusan del Norte along Agusan-Misamis road, and other sections of Surigao-Davao Coastal Road.

“In preparation to Tropical Storm Auring, Secretary Villar said that DPWH Quick Response Teams have prepositioned a total of 4,432 maintenance crew with 818 clearing operations equipment in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13 and has so far deployed a total of total of 1,055 personnel with 239 equipment in Region 10, 11, 12, and 13,” the statement added.

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Article and Photo originally posted by Business Mirror last February 23, 2021 and written by Rene Acosta.

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