Heavy downpour spawned by the easterlies and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) since Monday night triggered flooding in several areas in Davao City yesterday, which resulted to one fatality and the displacement of families fleeing to safety.
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A 21-year-old man was reportedly found drowned after he was electrocuted near his home in Barangay Buhangin. He was rushed to the Philippine Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival at around 3:15 a.m.
In a statement, city information officer Harvey Lanticse said a total of three hundred fifty-eight families evacuated to safety on Monday night.
"As of this morning, the evacuees have started returning home," Lanticse said yesterday.
The heavy downpour caused a river to swell, which resulted to the collapse of a 15m bridge in Barangay Callawa. A hanging bridge in Barangay Matina Pangi also sustained severe damage from the flooding.
Dean Ortiz, spokesman for the Department of Public Works and Highways in Davao, said the infrastructure in Callawa, which was constructed in 2017, was not able to withstand the rush of the floodwaters. The department noted that it would install a temporary access for light vehicles and start repairing the bridge within a month.
"The office will deploy workers and heavy equipments to install a bailey panel, which will serve as a temporary bridge while we request funds to build a new one," Ortiz said.
Local Response and Infrastructure Damages
The city government announced that classes in all levels, both in private and public schools, as well as work in government offices would be suspended yesterday. City officials stated that the suspension of classes and work was necessary to give way to clearing operations and ensure the safety and welfare of people affected by the flooding.
The team of local responders, who were mobilized immediately after the waters rose, are working to assist the affected barangays. Offices performing critical functions, e.g., safety, security, health and social services, remained open to respond to any emergency that may arise.
The continuous rain, which inundated several areas including the St. Mary of the Perpetual Rosary Parish in Barangay Buhangin, made it difficult for residents to cope up with the rising waters. A business owner lost over P800,000 in food and grocery items as floodwaters entered his shop, damaging up to one hundred sacks of rice and various store furnitures. His motorcycle and truck were swept away by the flood. Aside from Buhangin and Matina Pangi, the village of Bajada was also flooded.
Unless the local drainage systems are heavily upgraded by the engineering office, persistent heavy rainfall will continuously threaten the city's vulnerable, low-lying areas from January to December.
Weather Outlook
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that the effects of the ITCZ will be felt in some parts of Mindanao.
Weather specialist Benison Estareja said the ITCZ would bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms in the Bangsamoro region, Davao Occidental, Soccsksargen and Zamboanga peninsula. Bicol, Caraga, Davao Oriental and Eastern Visayas will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to the easterlies.
The agency added that localized thunderstorms will bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms in Metro Manila and the rest of the country.
Even as the country deals with dangerous heat levels, several regions continue to face extreme weather disruptions, with authorities closely monitoring floods and infrastructure damage caused by unstable climate conditions.
