Kabacan, Cotabato placed under state of calamity due to flood damage

KIDAPAWAN CITY - The town of Kabacan on Friday was placed under a state of calamity due to the extent of damage brought by flash floods that submerged low-lying villages and displaced thousands of residents on Wednesday last week.

 

Kabacan town mayor Herlo Guzman said the Sangguniang Bayan during their special session on Friday acted on the recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) to declare a state of calamity to utilize the town’s quick response funds.

 

Guzman said the 30 percent quick response funds will be used for financial assistance to affected farmers, rehabilitation of the infrastructure destroyed by floods, and assistance to victims whose homes were swept away by rampaging flood waters.

 

The MDRRMC reported that at least 2,465 families or 12,325 individuals were displaced due to floods when torrential rains caused the Kabacan River to overflow.

 

Severely affected were residents from the villages of Poblacion, Kayaga, Aringay, Bangilan, Dagupan, Pedtad, Salapungan, Malanduage and Katidtuan, said Guzman.

 

“We are still determining the extent of damage in livestock and various crops as our agriculture personnel are still conducting validation in the affected villages,” he said.

 

Guzman also confirmed the death of a 14-year-old boy who drowned after being swept by floods in Barangay Bangilan.

 

While there were residents who already returned to their respective homes, some remained in the town gymnasium.

 

“These are constituents who lost their homes in flood. However the LGU is now facilitating assistance for them to rebuild their destroyed homes,” Guzman said.

 

Meantime, after two days of retrieval operations, the Arakan town Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council recovered the decomposing remains of 61-year-old Wennie Pajedano who drowned in the flood.

 

Senior Inspector Rolly Oranza, Arakan chief of police, said Pajedano's body was found floating in a river in Barangay Malatab in Antipas, North Cotabato, around 11 a.m. Saturday. —KG, GMA News