• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Pre-empted evacuations were implemented in Ilog and Sipalay City in Negros Occidental due to isolated flooding triggered by southwest monsoon, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Irene Bel Ploteña said on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Affected by flooding in Ilog town were 25 families, composed of 67 individuals, and four families or 13 individuals in Sipalay City, where a rock slide was also reported in Barangay 4.
The pre-emptive evacuation in Sipalay City was also triggered by the widening of Campisao riverbank due to rising floodwaters.
Donato Sermeno III, regional director of Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region, said that residents along a creek in Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana were also prohibited from returning to their respective homes after flood waters rose because of clogged waterway caused by lahar.
Classes in 13 local government units, mostly in southern Negros, were suspended on Aug. 27 due to heavy rains and threat of flooding. | GB
