Heavy rain prompts evacuations in Cagayan de Oro

MANILA, Philippines -- Dozens of families were moved to evacuation centers in Cagayan de Oro Saturday afternoon after the city ordered preemptive evacuations due to heavy rains.

According to the city's Social Welfare and Development department, 15 families had been evacuated to Bonbon Elementary School while Cugman had five families as of Saturday afternoon.

Another 10 families were seeking shelter at the Puerto covered court while 10 more families were at the Puerto Elementary School. Twelve families had been evacuated to the covered court of Barangay Macasandig.

Cagayan de Oro now on Orange Alert. #LPA @dswdserves pic.twitter.com/TyucFrTEW5

— DSWD Region X (@dswdfo10) January 28, 2017

Traffic officials have already ordered the closure of some portions of Claro M. Recto Ave., where hundreds of vehicles were stuck during flooding on January 16.

Other major streets in the city were also closed, particularly Osmeña St., the Lapasan highway, Serena St. in Carmen, and the JR Borja Ext. in Camaman-an village.

Earlier this month, the city declared a state of calamity after heavy flooding caused by rains brought by the tailend of a cold front.

Also on Saturday afternoon, local officials raised flood warnings in various areas in northern and northeastern Mindanao amid heavy rains that continued to drench the region.

Local weather officials raised the “orange alert” in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands due to heavy rains spawned by a low-pressure area (LPA) Saturday morning.

The “yellow alert” was also raised in the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte.

An “orange alert” advises residents along river channels to move to safer grounds in anticipation of a rise in floodwaters while a “yellow alert” advises residents to be on alert for possible flooding.

The weather officials also warned of floods in low-lying areas and those near river channels, and landslides in mountainous areas in the region.

Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano has issued a province-wide alert and ordered the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office ito mobilize the rescue teams to respond to any eventuality.

He said residents of Medina, a coastal town east of Misamis Oriental, had been evacuated to safer grounds due to flooding.

Emano further said that two houses in Villanueva, also a coastal town east of Misamis Oriental, were destroyed when a tree fell on them, but nobody was reported hurt.

The governor also advised all public school officials to exercise prudence in dismissing classes, putting into consideration the safety of students. -- with a report from the Philippine News Agency