ILOILO City – Southwest monsoon-triggered flooding and storm surges damaged 240 houses in Western Visayas – 30 completely and 210 partially, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
During habagat season, the predominant wind flow brings high levels of humidity and substantial rainfall. This often leads to intense and prolonged periods of rain, which often result in flooding, especially in low-lying and coastal areas.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the damaged houses across various provinces:
* Aklan – 3 houses damaged (1 totally, 34 partially)
* Antique – 27 houses damaged (14 totally, 13 partially)
* Iloilo – 10 houses damaged (3 totally, 7 partially)
* Iloilo City – 76 houses damaged (4 totally, 72 partially)
* Negros Occidental – 92 houses damaged (8 totally, 84 partially)
The heavy monsoon rains these past few days were particularly impactful due to Tropical Storm Bebinca, leading to even more severe weather conditions.
From September 12 to September 15, the adverse weather affected 51,781 families or 175,908 individuals across 483 barangays in the region. Of these, 7,079 families or 22,724 persons remain in 346 evacuation centers as of this writing, while 2,656 families or 8,015 persons have taken refuge with relatives. The remainder has since returned to their respective homes.
The affected families and individuals per province and highly urbanized city were as follows:
* Aklan – 9,116 families or 36,640 persons affected
* Antique – 19,704 families or 63,216 persons affected
* Guimaras – 33 families or 99 persons affected
* Iloilo – 75 families or 311 persons affected
* Iloilo City – 100 families or 406 persons affected
* Negros Occidental – 22,263 families or 73,795 persons affected
* Bacolod City – 4 0 families or 1,441 persons affected
In response to these displacements, DSWD Region 6, local government units (LGUs), and other stakeholders have disbursed a total of P9,331,657.52 in food assistance.
Additionally, DSWD-6 prepared standby funds and a relief stockpile valued at P141,440,012, which includes 95,645 family food packs worth P77,417,817.44; other food and non-food costs total P61,022,195; and a standby fund of P3,000,000.
DSWD-6 continues to monitor the situation closely and has provided technical assistance to affected LGUs for camp coordination and management. The organization began monitoring and gathering reports on September 12, around 5 p.m., following moderate to heavy rains that flooded low-lying areas and barangays near river banks in several municipalities of Antique due to the southwest monsoon.
Evacuation centers were opened across the region to cater to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), assisted by their respective Barangay Officials.
DSWD-6 will maintain its vigilance until the situation in the region returns to normal, amidst concerns about the developing Tropical Depression Gener, which is enhancing the southwest monsoon effects in the region./PN
