CAGAYAN DE ORO – The swollen Cagayan River due to heavy rainfall spawned by Tropical Storm #VintaPH prompted the evacuation Friday of over 500 families, mostly from flood-prone barangays.
Water level of the river had reached its “very critical level”, and civil authorities implemented compulsory evacuation procedures following the declaration that the city had placed under red alert status.
In the city’s District 1, some 110 displaced families, corresponding to 465 affected individuals, were recorded, while for District 2, there were 393 families, or 1254 individuals, being assisted at evacuation centers.
In an advisory, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) reported that the water level of Cagayan river was at 9 meters deep as of this writing.
Rescue operations were ongoing in the barangays Carmen, Tablon, Cugman, Gusa, Bonbon, among others.
Even dikes built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to head off flooding were rendered of little use as the river water have reached the maximum height of the dike.
Some houses were bashed or carried away by the strong flow of flood water.
The Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) announced that the Biasong-to-Tinib road near the Bell Church area had been rendered impassable to light vehicles, and so are portions of Puerto and Tablon highways, Acacia St at Carmen, and Domingo Velez streets.
Authorities are implementing a one-lane traffic scheme along Barangay Cugman bridge after a crack was discovered, while Ysalinna Bridge has been closed to all vehicles as flooding threatens to overflow it.
The city has been experiencing nonstop rains since Thursday.
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