13 dead, 23 missing due to holiday rains, floods– OCD

AT least 13 persons were reported dead, while 23 are currently missing, due to heavy rains and flash floods brought by the shear line in Southern Luzon, and regions in Visayas and Mindanao, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday.

The head of the OCD Joint Information Center, Diego Mariano, said Northern Mindanao reported seven deaths, the Bicol region three deaths, Eastern Visayas two deaths, and Zamboanga Peninsula one death.

Of the 23 missing cases, Mariano said the most were recorded from Eastern Visayas with 12, followed by Bicol with eight, and Northern Mindanao with three.

Citing data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Mariano said least 44,282 families, or 166,357 individuals, were affected by shear line-induced rainfall in the regions of Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Some 10,536 families, which consists of 45,37 individuals, are currently housed at 87 evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said the damage to agriculture brought by the massive rainfall and flash floods amounted to P59.83 million, while the damage to infrastructure was estimated to be roughly P14.58 million.

The weather bureau said the shear line will continue to bring rains in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The shear line is a weather system in which warm air and cold air meet.

The NDRRMC said Eastern Visayas, Bohol, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Oriental would experience moderate to heavy rainfall, with at times torrential rain. Meanwhile, Palawan, the rest of the Visayas, and Mindanao will have moderate to heavy rain.

Mariano called on residents to heed evacuation warnings and said that affected families should be immediately provided assistance while in the evacuation centers.

“For our countrymen who are still affected by the shear line, our only appeal is that we should obey the warnings or calls from the local government officials to evacuate so that we can avoid more serious damage brought by this disaster,” Mariano said in Filipino.