Evacuation Ordered in 3 Valencia City Villages as Seniang Intensifies

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/29 December) – Evacuations have been ordered Monday morning in areas along the Pulangi River in Valencia City in Bukidnon as heavy rains continued to pour after tropical storm Seniang made landfall in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

Capt. Alejandro Laruza, operations chief of Valencia City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told dxDB-Malaybalay that residents of barangays Maapag, Catumbalon and Batangan have evacuated to their barangay halls.

The city government sent dump trucks to the two areas to carry the affected residents to the evacuation sites, Laruza said.

In late December 2011, some residents of the three barangays were trapped in their homes when Pulangi River swelled due to rains brought by a low pressure area off General Santos City.

In Impasugong and Sumilao towns, residents of barangays along riverbanks were also alerted against flash floods.

Impasugong is the headwater source of Pulangi River, the largest river system in Mindanao which drains into Cotabato City as the Rio Grande de Mindanao.

A landslide rendered a portion of the national highway in Damay, Barangay San Vicente in Sumilao inaccessible, dxDB reported. But an update from the Department of Public Works and Highways in Region 10 said one lane of the road had been cleared of debris allowing vehicles to and from Cagayan de Oro City to pass through. - MindaNews

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