Tagum City (27 October) -- Canals and rivers overflowed when heavy rains poured during the weekend, causing flashflood in the municipalities of Carmen, Braulio E. Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.

A report from Office of Civil Defense showed that a total of 22 barangays in the three municipalities were affected by the flood, causing an estimated P17.4 million damage to agriculture and more than P23 million to infrastructure.

The flood took a heavy toll in Brauli Dujali with an estimated damage of more than P13 million to agriculture and P20 million to infrastructure. In Carmen, the flooding caused an estimated P4.2 million damage to agriculture and more than P3 million to infrastructure.

The Office of Civil Defense has yet to register the amount of damage to agriculture and infrastructure for Sto. Tomas.

The flood not only affected a total of 11,337 families but also claimed the lives of two people.

Reports from the Davao del Norte Provincial Social Welfare Office which serves as secretariat of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) declared Nestor Prado, 29 years old of Barangay Ising, Carmen to have been drowned during the heavy downpour. OCD report indicated Prado only as missing.

The other casualty was identified as Ricky Oliverio, also 29 years old of Poblacion Braulio E. Dujali.

In an interview PSWDO chief Melitona V. Boaqueña explained that the heavy downpour over the weekend had sent some barangays underwater when the Alimag Protection Dike in Barangay Magsaysay of Carmen, “was damaged.”

OCD Regional Director Carmelito Lupo in a separate telephone interview also mentioned about the dike that caused the flooding on October 21 (Saturday).

Water was still high in areas along the national highway in Carmen on Monday and residents could be seen wading through near waist-deep flood. Poultry animals were seen being moved out to elevated areas along the highway. The flood subsided Wednesday.

Meanwhile, OCD indicated in its report that the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council of Carmen served 625 families in barangay New Camiling and 352 families in Barangay Magsaysay, using its calamity fund after the LGU declared the municipality under a state of calamity in March 2006.

Providing the first round of relief assistance, Dujali was also making use of its calamity fund released through Sangguniang Bayan Resolution passed in March 2006 declaring the municipality under a state of calamity.

Lupo recommended the provincial government to provide relief assistance for the flood victims and institute immediate repairs to Sitio Alimag protection dike that had given way due to flood.

Lupo observed the big damage to crops particularly rice noting that some rice fields were about to be harvested when floods occurred. He also noted harvested crops were being washed away because owners failed to immediately store them at a warehouse.

But Provincial Agriculturist Dominador Encarnacion in a separate interview said, actual damage to agriculture could be much lesser than the OCD estimates.

“There might be rice fields which have been harvested but the OCD has included in their estimates,” he said while explaining that actual figures could be determined when water subsides.

Meanwhile, Boaqueña said MDCCs of areas affected have yet to submit requests for assistance from the PDCC “meaning they can still handle relief operation.”

But she has seen the need for the provincial government to shell out money to help restore heavy damage to infrastructure.