CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Misamis Oriental provincial government declared a state of calamity as the death toll from continuing floods in nearby Zamboanga del Norte increased to 10, authorities said Friday.
Fernando Dy, chief of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the province suffered massive infrastructure, personal and agricultural losses caused by flood and landslides.
Dy said that 2,573 families or 11,852 individuals were internally displaced across the province.
Dexter Yasay, Overseer of the Provincial Information Office said that three towns declared a State of Calamity.
“Four also died during the incident and there are three persons missing,” Yasay said.
Dy said infrastructure damage is pegged at P103 million and the authorities fear that may still increase as reports come in. “We are getting updates twice every day so there could be more,” Dy said.
“Agricultural damage as of Jan. 20 is at P13 million with 241 hectares of crops damaged, 82 hectares of which are rice,” Dy said.
Yasay said that Provincial Health Officcer Gerry Calingasan and his team are already distributing doxycycline medicine to prevent leptospirosis.
Meanwhile, in Zamboanga del Norte, the death toll in the flood that submerged five towns the past four days increased to 10 as another person was recovered dead while a child remained missing as of Friday.
Supt. Charise Yabo, Zamboanga del Norte police chief for community relations, said that they have yet to determine the identify the person who was recovered dead Friday in Roxas town.
The cadaver was the seventh fatality recorded in Roxas town while three others were from the towns of Katipunan, Manukan and Rizal.
The flood spawned by heavy downpour from Monday until Thursday has inundated 17 barangays in the towns of Jose Dalman, Roxas, Piñan, Katipunan, and Labason.
Twelve people were reported injured in the municipality of Jose Dalman.
Office of Civil Defense Region 9 Director Manuel Luis Ochotorena disclosed that the number of casualties was high due to complacency of the communities despite warnings from authorities to seek refuge.
The victims were swept by strong current when rivers swelled and overflowed due to torrential rains.
In a phone interview, former Dipolog City Councilor James Verduguez said weather condition in Zamboanga del Norte only improved a bit on Friday.
It rained heavily from Jan. 16 to 19 across the Zamboanga del Norte province.
Early on, the towns of Roxas and Jose Dalman were placed under the state of calamity due to severe effects of the flood.
Roxas Mayor Jan Henrick Vallecer said that at least P100 million worth of agricultural products, livestock and properties were destroyed in his town.
Jose Dalman Mayor Rachel Ferrater said they have yet to determine the worth of destruction caused by the flood in their turf.
Ferrater said partial report received by his office showed that 250 hectares of agricultural land planted to banana, corn, cassava, rice and cacao were destroyed.
Ochotorena said they have yet to assess the extent of damage to crops and properties caused by the floods.