Heavy rains continued to affect most parts of Surigao City as of Tuesday afternoon, prompting officials to place the entire area under Alert Level 2.
This came about as the Surigao Information Office issued a statement warning residents of possible flooding due to heavy rains.
“The public is advised to take precautionary measures,” said Annette Villaces, the information officer of Surigao.
The continuing heavy rains and thunderstorms in the area are due to a “shear line” as stated in the advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday.
“Meantime, 49.2 mm amount of rainfall has been recorded for the last two hours in the city,” Villaces said.
The Surigao Metropolitan Water District also announced on Tuesday water supply interruptions in at least 21 barangays in the city due to the high turbidity at water sources caused by the heavy rains.
“We apologize for the inconvenience as we continue to find ways to address the problem,” the water district said.
Meanwhile, other parts of Caraga Region have also experienced intermittent rain showers on Tuesday due to the inclement weather that had prompted authorities to issue warnings especially to residents in low-lying areas and near the river systems.
In Agusan del Sur, the local government units in the towns of Rosario, Sta. Josefa, Bunawan, La Paz, Prosperidad, and Sibagat, through their Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (MDRRMOs), are closely monitoring the water levels of rivers in their localities.
In the province’s Sta. Josefa town, the MDRRMO conducted a rescue operation and successfully saved a resident who was caught in the raging waters of Agusan River at around 12:30 noon on Tuesday.
The MDRRMOs are also preparing for possible preemptive evacuations to ensure the safety of residents in areas prone to floods and landslides.
Source: Philippines News Agency
