Five more Agusan del Sur towns placed under state of calamity

Heavy rains caused flooding in Agusan del Sur, prompting the local government to place five more towns under a state of calamity, GMA News’ Tricia Zafra said in an Unang Balita report on Monday.

These towns are Loreto, San Luis, Talacogon, Veruela and Bunawan, the report said.

Two towns—La Paz and Esperanza—had already been declared under a state of calamity last week.

Some houses in Loreto were destroyed by flash floods and residents could not fix them yet because floodwaters have not subsided.

Most flood-stricken areas were difficult to reach due to the floods, the report said. Stranded residents in Barangay Johnson have only been given relief goods once.

Meanwhile, personnel from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Loreto continued to repack goods to be delivered to affected residents.

However, they are already running out of supplies.

Only five percent of their calamity fund was allowed to be used for relief operations, Marcos Gonzales of MDRRMO said.

Most of the funds were allocated for the rehabilitation program for farmers who have not yet recovered from their losses due to the onslaught of Typhoon Auring.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is still verifying a report that one person was missing in San Francisco town due to the floods.

Rescue personnel in the province are still on red alert for any untoward incidents that the heavy rains and flash floods may bring.

Class suspensions, meanwhile, have been lifted in the province on Monday except in towns still submerged in flood. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News