DATU MONTAWAL: The provincial government on Tuesday said it has taken measures to respond quickly and extend aid to some 10,000 families affected by floods in two adjoining towns.
‘For the past two days, heavy downpours prevailed over the province due to ‘habagat’ (southwest monsoon) and localized thunderstorms,’Ameer Jehad Ambolodto, the provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, said in a radio interview.
Initial data from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed that torrential rains triggered floods that submerged 12 villages in Pagalungan town and 11 villages in Datu Montawal municipality.
‘The floods occurred after several rivers overflowed, particularly the Rio Grande de Mindanao River, Pulangi River, and Liguasan Marsh,’ Ambolodto said.
Governor Bai Mariam Mangudadatu has already traveled to the towns to hand over relief food packs to affected families, he added.
Over the weekend, light to moderate rain triggered by the southwest monsoon also affected t
he provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.
River water from the two provinces eventually ended in the Liguasan marshland, surrounded by towns in Maguindanao del Sur, before exiting the Moro Gulf.
‘To date, only the Pagalungan and Montawal disaster offices have submitted situational reports on flooding; the affected families may increase when all other towns have submitted their reports,’ Ambolodto said.
Source: Philippines News Agency