Continuous heavy rain since Tuesday caused floodwaters to rise in the cities of Sagay and Cadiz, Negros Occidental, affecting a total of 182 families.

Liane Garcia, Provincial Social Welfare officer, reported yesterday that in Sagay City, 119 families from Barangay Paraiso fled from their homes and stayed temporarily at the Lopez Sugar Central and at the Holy Family Parish, while 40 families in Barangay Fabrica evacuated to their barangay hall.

Reports said some of the affected families already returned to their homes yesterday while others are still at the evacuation centers and are waiting for the floodwaters to subside completely.

A total of 23 families evacuated to the Paniquion Elementary School in Brgy. Tiglawigan in Cadiz City, while an undetermined number of families from Brgy. Luna also left their homes, when the Himogaan river overflowed yesterday, a PSWD report showed.

Most of the affected families, however, already returned to their homes because the flood immediately subsided, Cadiz City Mayor Patrick Escalante said.

Escalante said several hauling trucks carrying sugarcane were also stalled because the barangays were not passable yesterday.

He said the Cadiz City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council will continue to be on alert until today.

The PSWD Office sent sacks of rice, packs of coffee, boxes of sardines and noodles to affected residents in Cadiz and Sagay cities.

While residents in other areas in the province fled from their homes because of the flood, no evacuations were reported in Bacolod City, DRRMC head, Joemarie Vargas, said.

Vargas said they went to Gatuslao Street yesterday morning after receiving a report that floodwater had risen to at least one and a half feet near the Hall of Justice.

He said the flood lasted for only a couple of minutes as it subsided immediately.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Valentin Talavera, in a television interview yesterday, urged local government units to relocate residents living by the riverbanks and mountain tops.

Talavera said LGUs should also attend seminars on how to immediately respond to calamities like floods.*APN

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