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Dav Occ, Davao Sur towns submerged in floodwaters

By Eldie Aguirre

November 17, 2022, 3:13 pm

<p><strong>HEAVY RAINS.</strong> Floods continue to rise in Barangay Basiawan, Sta. Maria, Davao Occidental due to heavy rains on Thursday (Nov. 17, 2022). Sta. Maria’s town government has declared the suspension of school classes at all levels, as well as work in government offices.<em> (Photo courtesy of Jay Bartulaba)</em></p>

HEAVY RAINS. Floods continue to rise in Barangay Basiawan, Sta. Maria, Davao Occidental due to heavy rains on Thursday (Nov. 17, 2022). Sta. Maria’s town government has declared the suspension of school classes at all levels, as well as work in government offices. (Photo courtesy of Jay Bartulaba)

DIGOS CITY – Inclement weather prevailing over the provinces of Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental submerged several towns in floodwaters early on Thursday.

Reports from various disaster response units in Davao del Sur confirmed rising water levels from overflowing rivers in the towns of Kiblawan and Malalag due to the overnight downpour.

Malalag‘s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) reported that the town’s public market near a waterway was submerged in a meter-deep floodwater.

Heavy equipment was utilized to rescue those trapped in buildings, it added.

Some residential houses near the Malalag River were also forced to evacuate as floodwaters continued to rise.

A landslide also blocked the Malalag national highway leading to General Santos City in Barangay Baluyan.

Motorists were advised to use the alternative Digos City to Makilala, North Cotabato, via Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat route to General Santos City.

The heavy rains also prompted the local government of Kiblawan and Magsaysay in Davao del Sur to suspend school classes due to the rising water levels.

In Davao Occidental, the towns of Sta. Maria, Malita, Don Marcelino, and Jose Abad Santos (JAS) also experienced flooding on Thursday morning.

Harry Chester Firman Camoro, Davao Occidental provincial DRRM officer, said portions of the Buhangin-Malita and Sta. Maria-Malita highway remains impassable as of Thursday morning due to landslides on roadside slopes in the area.

In Don Marcelino town, the Malita-Jose Abad Santos passage has been opened, but motorists were cautioned against the slippery road and falling rocks.

Malita, Sta. Maria, and JAS also declared suspension of classes at all levels.

Meanwhile, the Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) said that as of Thursday morning, it has implemented an unscheduled power outage in Malalag, Sta. Maria, and Malita as a precautionary measure against flooding.

In this city, all major roads and junctions remained passable. (PNA)

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