‘Basyang’ floods kill 12, swamp Mindanao

Tropical storm “Basyang” unleashed extremely heavy rainfall across parts of Mindanao and the Visayas, killing twelve people, triggering floods and landslides, and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate, disaster officials reported Saturday.

In Northern Mindanao, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Iligan City recorded up to 240 millimeters of rainfall over an eight-hour period, affecting 24 barangays and some 3,800 families, or 19,050 individuals.

OCD Regional Director Antonio Sugarol said the volume of rain fell under the “extreme heavy” category for a 24-hour period, a level often associated with severe flooding, landslides, and damage to infrastructure.

He noted that 100 millimeters of rainfall is equivalent to 1,000 liters of water per square meter.

“It was not ordinary rainfall. It caused the Iligan River to overflow, damaging infrastructure, farms, and houses in at least 24 barangays,” Sugarol said.

In Cagayan de Oro City, a couple and their two children were killed when a landslide buried their house in Zone 1, Sitio Sambulawan, Barangay Agusan, at the height of the storm.

Authorities said Basyang made landfall in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur, shortly before midnight Thursday.

Landslide

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) said the landslide occurred at around 7 p.m. Thursday. Barangay rescue teams and the city’s Urban Search and Rescue unit recovered the victims from the rubble near a flooded river.

Earlier, the CDRRMD issued heavy to intense rainfall advisories, warning of possible serious flooding and landslides, particularly in low-lying and landslide-prone areas.

Forced evacuations were carried out, with residents brought to 16 evacuation centers across the city.

In Cebu province, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that 1,508 individuals were evacuated from 12 municipalities on 6 February as Basyang brought heavy rains.