GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 13 July) – Flood waters spawned by heavy rains rampaged through denuded mountain sides, sending rivers to overflow and wreak havoc on Friday, snapping bridges and rendering several roads impassable in Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat provinces.
The floods displaced hundreds of families in Kiamba and Maitum towns in Sarangani, as well as in the towns of Lebak, Kalamansig and Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat. These are coastal municipalities along the southwest portion of the Soccsksargen Region.
Authorities were still assessing the extent of damages even as the weather condition had yet to improve as of Saturday morning.
Speaking over radio station RMN Gensan, Kiamba Vice Mayor Marie Jess Ancheta said on Saturday that heavy rains started around 11am on Friday and went on, almost non-stop, until several rivers in the town were observed to have overflowed around 2pm.
In mid-afternoon, rampaging waters were observed along Pangi River which traverses from Maitum town. Nalus River also overflowed and inundated the nearby rice fields, she said.
Before nightfall, hundreds of families from several flood-prone barangays in Kiamba were immediately transported to the town’s designated evacuation centers, she said.
In Sultan Kudarat province, a road linking the towns of Palimbang, Kalamansig and Lebak remains impassable as of 7:30am on Saturday, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Sultan Kudarat announced.
Landslides and collapsed bridges rendered the highway impassable. A road clearing operation is going on along portions of the highway that were covered by landslides, the announcement said.
On Friday evening, authorities advised travelers and commuters to refrain from unnecessary movement with the ongoing heavy rains.
With the extreme weather conditions and the initial damages it caused, the DPWH said they closed the following road segments: Apo Park road in barangay Pansud, Lebak, due to landslide, Sangay in Kalamansig town, due to fallen trees and flooding, and a road portion in Kanipaan, Palimbang town, due to landslide.
The approach of the Sebayor Bridge eroded due to strong water current, sending a span to collapse. The bridge in barangay Sta. Clara, Kalamansig links the town to Palimbang and Sarangani province.
In Lebak, where authorities said floodwaters entered houses in several barangays, a fire gutted a warehouse amid heavy rains in barangay Aurelio Frieres Sr. Fire authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire and extent of damage.
Palimbang was also inundated due to continuous heavy rains that were experienced on Friday.
On Saturday morning, the Mindanao Regional Services Division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration terminated its heavy rainfall warning it earlier issued over South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. (Rommel G. Rebollido/MindaNews)
