8 dead as shear line brings heavy rains over Davao Region — OCD

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported Sunday that at least eight individuals have died due to the effects of a shear line in Davao Region.

Of the fatalities, four were recorded in Davao de Oro, while the remaining cases were logged in Davao Oriental, OCD Region XI Director Ednar Dayanghirang told Super Radyo dzBB.

He said the eight individuals died due to landslides.

Almost 20,000 families have been affected by the inclement weather in Davao de Oro.

Some bridges and roads in Davao Region have also been damaged amid the heavy rains.

Dayanghirang said an estimated P376 million worth of agricultural damage was recorded in Davao de Oro.

He also called for improvements to the local drainage system to address flooding in the area.

"'Yung sistema ng kalsada natin, nasa gilid ng pampang ginagawa kaya kapag rumagasa ang tubig galing sa bundok, dadaan sa ilalim ng lupa kasi hindi maganda ang drainage system," Dayanghirang said.

(Our road system is built along the coastline, so when water rushes down from the mountains, it passes underground because the drainage system is not good.)

"'Yung drainage ng mga national road natin, hindi maganda, hindi kumpleto... Napakasaklap tignan ng drainage system. Mayroon, pero hindi kumpleto," he added.

(The drainage system of our national road is incomplete... It is pitiful to look at. We have one, but it is incomplete.)

In Caraga, more than 60,000 families have been affected by the shear line, OCD Caraga Region information officer Carlo Becera said in a Super Radyo dzBB report.

Residents in Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur experienced flooding due to the inclement weather.

Meanwhile, three barangays in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur were flooded for the first time.

"Hindi ito binabaha. Isa sa nakikita nilang dahilan kaya umapaw 'yung tubig is may isang tulay na nag-clog, 'yung mag dumi kaya umapaw 'yung creek. Ayon sa mga residente sa isang village, hindi sila binabaha before," Becera said.

(The area is not usually hit by floods. Residents believe the water overflowed because garbage clogged a nearby bridge, causing the creek to spill over. According to villagers, flooding had not happened there before.) 

Residents have started returning to their homes as the flood subsided.

Roads in the area are now passable, except for the Davao–Surigao Road, which remains blocked by debris from a landslide.

Clearing operations were still ongoing as of posting time.

Evacuation centers

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said up to 94,000 families, or more than 372,000 individuals, were affected by the shear line in the Davao Region and Caraga, according to Carlo Mateo's report on Super Radyo dzBB. 

The agency reported that 385 barangays in the two regions experienced heavy downpours. 

As of posting time, a total of 8,419 families, or 27,315 individuals, were in evacuation centers. 

Eleven houses were listed as totally damaged, while 29 were partially damaged. 

The DSWD also put up temporary shelters to accommodate more evacuees in Monkayo, Davao de Oro. 

Flooded highway

Meanwhile, the national highway in Pagsabangan, Tagum City, Davao del Norte was flooded due to an overflowing river on Saturday, according to a report by GMA Regional TV's Jandi Esteban. 

Riders were seen loading their motorcycles onto trucks to pass through the flooded road. 

The Department of Public Works and Highways, together with local government units, conducted clearing operations after banana plants were washed away and clogged the river. Some farmers also evacuated their livestock to higher ground.

In Montevista town in Davao de Oro, some residents stayed by the side of the road out of fear of being overwhelmed by floodwater after the Manat River overflowed. — VDV, GMA Integrated News