DAVAO CITY – A magnitude-6.5 earthquake rocked the remote town of Jose Abad Santos (JAS) in Davao Occidental before midnight Wednesday.

The tremor struck as heavy rains spawned flash flood and landslides in southern barangays of JAS. This also occurred as JAS was transitioning from early recovery phase to rehabilitation phase following the powerful tremor last June.

Last July 10, monsoon rain triggered a flash flood in Barangay Tanuman. Four people were killed and six others were missing.

On Tuesday, July 14, flash flood hit Barangay Sugal. No one was reported hurt or missing, according to JAS information officer Julie Marie Buen.

She said that the local government is still verifying reports of a resident who was reportedly swept away by the flash flood in Barangay Sugal. Buen added local government personnel are conducting assessment and validation in affected areas.

However, assessment and validation were hampered by the landslides that blocked vital road networks. “There were ongoing road clearing operations yesterday but the roads were blocked again by landslides and debris carried by the flash floods,” Buen said.

JAS is the most affected town in Davao Occidental in the magnitude-7.8 earthquake on June 8. Eight persons were killed, 40 injured, and 13 are still missing. Fatalities were due to landslides, according to the local government.

A total of 6,700 houses were damaged, 2,648 of which were totally destroyed. The tremor affected 22, 576 families and at least 4,000 of them are still in evacuation centers.

Photos and videos have been circulating in social media showing the extent of damage in Sitio Kibatang, Barangay Sugal.

Several houses were swept away by the flash flood and several sustained major damages from massive debris.

An advisory from the local government said roads connecting Cayaponga Kalbay, Butuan Tabayon, Tanuman, and Sugal are still impassable due to landslides.

The local government has discouraged motorists from traveling to the southern portion of JAS due to possible landslides.

Mayor Jason John Joyce lamented that his constituents have been suffering from continuing tremors and heavy rain.

“Nightly combo: Ulan, baha, landslide, lindol. Tama na sana, Lord. Nahihirapan na kami,” Joyce wrote on his Facebook page.

(Nightly combo: Rain, flood, landslide, earthquake. Enough of these, Lord. We are suffering)

The mayor ordered forced evacuations Sitio Kibatang due to threat of landslides amid continuous rains.

Following the earthquake on Tuesday night, Buen said that they have not yet received reports of further damage to structures in the municipality.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Davao Occidental also said that they are still conducting assessment and validation in the province following the tremor. A PDRRMO personnel said they have yet to receive reports on damage to structures.

But a teacher from Kalbay National High School in the southern part of JAS said that their school building sustained further damage after the earthquake last night. High school teacher Amor Pelite said the first floor of one of the school buildings collapsed.

Pelite added that some walls of the school buildings also were totally damaged. Face-to-face classes in JAS remain suspended for over a month now due to the tremor.

The Department of Education in Davao Occidental is implementing alternative learning modalities in the earthquake due to continuing aftershocks.

Pelite admitted that many of them endured sleepless nights due to continuous rains and aftershocks.

She admitted that many residents, who were hit by the flash flood, are still recovering from the impact of the earthquake last month.

“Many lost their belongings after their houses were swept away by the flashflood. The children, especially the babies, are in need of clothing. More families are in need of kitchen utensils and other essential supplies,” Pelite said over the phone.

Local officials and residents are appealing for help amid the series of disasters that struck the municipality.

In flashflood-hit areas, residents have turned to social media to appeal for drinking water, cooking utensils, clothing, and hygiene kits.

“Our community is asking for support through donations of clean water, used clothes, and food for my family affected by the recent calamities. Any form of assistance will be a big help and a source of hope during this difficult time,” wrote Joseph Fontanares of Sitio Kibatang.