A grove of bamboos destroyed two houses during a downpour in Barangay Sambag, District of Jaro, Iloilo City on June 11, 2024.
The grove of bamboos fell on the houses when heavy rain saturated the soil. The two houses are owned by siblings Alfie and Raffie Martirizar.
It was fortunate, the residents observed that no one was at home when the incident happened.
According to their mother, she heard of a loud sound that she thought was a thunderclap.
“Akala namin kulog lang kasi syempre kumikidlat. Pagkatapos lumabas kami at sinabing kulog. Nang nasa labas na kami, sira na yung dalawang bahay; ang kusina ng anak ko, unti-unti na ring bumibigay,” Luzvimin Martirizar, the mother, said.
The barangay responded immediately to the situation. No one was reported hurt in the incident.
The two families affected have received immediate assistance.
“Bigas at de lata. Sa ngayon may clearing rin. Yan ang hinihintay ko ngayon. Naisalba naman yata nila ang kanilang mga gamit. Ang mahalaga safe sila,” Kirztin Alim, Barangay Sambag councilman, said.
Meanwhile, 29 barangays in Iloilo City went flooded because of the downpour, according to the record of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) - Operations Center.
The areas could either be flood prone or have clogged-up drainage system that is the usual cause of flooding, CDRRMO said.
The city is keen on rigid declogging activities to resolve the concern, it was further learned.
Eight of the affected barangays are in Mandurriao, seven in the city proper, six in La Paz, five in Jaro, two in Molo, and one in Lapuz.
“Naka-meeting na sa response cluster at sa city engineer’s dahil ang cause usually ng baha ay ang clog. So, target naman ang declogging,” Charles Samodio, staff member of the Operations Center, said.
At past 9 a.m. on June 12, 2024, floodwaters were observed to have receded in all of the affected barangays.
