More than 5,000 individuals were affected after heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused by the trough of a low pressure area (LPA) brought flooding and landslides over portions of Lanao del Norte, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Diego Agustin Mariano, head of OCD joint information center, said 1,044 families or 5,220 individuals were affected by the rains as of 5 p.m. Monday.
A separate situational report released by the provincial government of Lanao del Norte said the number of affected families already reached 1,227 as of 8 a.m. on Tuesday although this has yet to undergo validation by the OCD.
At least nine municipalities in Lanao del Norte were affected including Tubod, Baroy, Lala, Kapatagan, Kolambugan, Maigo, Magsaysay, Salvador, and Sultan Naga Dimaporo, said Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRM) head Vicmar Palomar.
Of those affected, at least 624 individuals were forced to flee their homes and temporarily staying in evacuation centers.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) was also verifying reports of a casualty in the province.
“Continued rainfall has caused flooding in low-lying areas and overflowing of rivers, and landslides in mountainous areas,” the provincial government of Lanao del Norte said in a statement.
The overnight rains caused Bulod River to overflow around 10:30 p.m. Monday which worsened the floods and stranded motorists on Linamon-Zamboanga National Highway, Palomar said.
Immediate rescue and response operations were conducted to save affected residents while clearing operations were ongoing in flood- and landslide-hit roads.