Flooding hits 40 barangays in Zamboanga City, 17 others in Basilan

The Tetuan Highway in Zamboanga City gets flooded Wednesday afternoon (11 January 2023) because of heavy rains. MindaNews photo by FRENCIE L. CARREON

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 13 January) — Floods caused by torrential rains spawned by a low pressure area hit a total of 57 barangays in Zamboanga City and Basilan, officials said.

In Zamboanga City, the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that 40 barangays have been affected as of Thursday afternoon.

Residents displaced by the flood sought refuge in 26 evacuation centers, although there are those who opted to remain in their homes, DRRM officer Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario said, adding there were four casualties.

“There were four who did not survive, two among whom were minors and one was a senior citizen. Three of them allegedly drowned, while one got hit by a fallen tree,” Apolinario said.

He identified the two minors as Jaymar Sahim, 14, a resident of Sangali, and Jenie Barredo Delos Santos, 9, of Salaan.

Delos Santos died when a tree fell on their house and hit his head. The other fatalities are Amilhussin Diego Abdani, 33, of Arena Blanco, and Juan Castro Magumcia, 74, of Tetuan.

Apolinario said that as of Thursday, 8,454 families or 26,403 individuals from the affected barangays have gone to evacuation centers while 1,131 families opted to stay at home.

In Isabela City in Basilan, the City DRRMO reported that as of early afternoon of January 11, twelve barangays were affected namely, Aguada, Baluno, Cabunbata, Isabela Proper, Kumalarang, Lanote, Menzi, Makiri, Sumagdang, Maligue and Sunrise.

“As of late evening of January 11, there are 1,140 families in Isabela City who are affected,” Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin said in her social media account.

Three barangays (Malinis, Maganda, and Matibay) in Lamitan City and two others (Manggal and Benembengan) in Sumisip were affected, Marine BGen Arturo Rojas, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said in an interview.Rojas said military units and vehicles were deployed Wednesday to Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan and Misamis Occidental to assist the local government units in rescue and humanitarian operations. (Frencie Carreon/MindaNews)