Thousands flee swamped villages in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/22/2008 8:57 PM
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Thousands of residents of Cagayan province have evacuated their homes due to heavy rains that swamped several villages since Friday.
The province's disaster coordinating council said one person has been confirmed killed due to continuous raining.
ABS-CBN Cagayan reported that several villages in the province were submerged in shoulder-deep floodwaters. The reports said the floodwaters came from Sierra Madre.
Meanwhile, at least 64 villages in Isabela and Aurora provinces were also submerged in deep floodwaters. The two provinces have also been experiencing heavy rains since Monday.
The Isabela provincial government has declared a state of calamity.
More than 3,000 residents of the two provinces have also been brought to evacuation centers.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said Saturday that it has activated all its units in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley to assist the affected villagers.
The NDCC said units from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection and Department of Social Welfare and Development have also been assisting the evacuees.
