Cagayan de Oro is reminded once again of the devastation that happened a little over five years ago, as the city continues to be battered by bouts of nonstop rain this week. Late 2011, tropical storm Sendong (international name Washi) destroyed over P2 billion worth of property and took over a thousand lives. This week served as a reminder of that harrowing experience.
On Monday, hundreds of families fled their houses as the nonstop rain triggered floods in the city. The displaced families sought shelter in evacuation centers such as Macasandig Covered Court and Bulao Elementary School in Iponan. Hundreds of vehicles got stranded, while thousands of people were trapped in various malls and commercial establishments around the city. The heavy rains lasted more than three hours, flooding major and minor thoroughfares in the city.
Virgil Lago, Weather Monitoring Chief of the local City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) clarified that the tragedy that struck the city was a case of urban flooding and not a flashflood like what happened during Sendong. The overflow of CDO’s rivers due to the torrential rain experienced in the upper plains of Bukidnon was the determined cause of the latter. However, the present case of flooding can be attributed to the high tide that prevented the rainwater from draining out into the ocean.
Lago identified two weather disturbances as the cause of the heavy downpour: a low-pressure area and the tail end of the cold front.
The rain subsided around 2.a.m. Tuesday morning. The local government declared the city in a state of calamity the same day in response to the flooding caused by the heavy rainfall. Power supply got cut off temporarily during the ordeal. By 9 a.m., Mayor Oscar Moreno declared the situation normal, with the water in major rivers reverting to safe levels.
Aside from Cagayan de Oro, other affected areas include Agusan del Sur, Cebu, and Leyte. PAG-ASA warned that moderate to occasional heavy rains and thunderstorms should be expected over Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula and the province of Bohol. The weather bureau added that these rains may cause floods and landslides in the mentioned areas.
On Wednesday evening, another round of nonstop rain struck CDO. At 1 p.m. today, PAG-ASA raised an ORANGE WARNING LEVEL over Misamis Oriental and nearby areas as bad weather and heavy rainfall continues to pound the region. According to PAG-ASA’s announcement, 15 to 30 mm. of rain was observed in the span of one hour and is expected to continue in the next two hours. Here is the full advisory:
Our prayers go to those who have been affected by the bad weather. On a lighter note, one YouTuber managed to take a video of a Nissan Urvan braving the floods. Even as the waters appear to have covered all the tires and even the van's entire grille, the vehicle still managed to cross the flooded street and make it safely to higher ground. So if you're looking for a vehicle that can keep you from getting stranded during a flood, the Nissan Urvan definitely merits your serious consideration. If vans are not your thing, then you might want to check out Carmudi's list of 13 flood-proof vehicles.
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