Flashfloods in General Santos City

At least 17 families from a riverside community here have been displaced as flashfloods swept anew the area Wednesday evening.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio said Thursday a portion of Purok Matinabangon in Barangay Labangal here remained submerged in floodwaters due to the swelling of the critical Silway River at the height of heavy rains in the area on Wednesday afternoon.

She said no casualties have been reported but the floods washed away at least two houses, several animal sheds and farm animals.

"We immediately ordered the evacuation of the affected families due to the rising volume of floodwaters coming from the river," the mayor said.

Custodio, who rushed to the scene Wednesday evening, said she has directed the City Social Welfare and Development Office to provide immediate assistance to the affected families.

She also instructed the City Disaster Risk reduction and Management Council and the City Engineer's Office to conduct a regular monitoring of the river's water level and implement remedial measures to prevent further flooding in the area.

Engr. Mark Reyes, acting city engineer, said they have assigned at least two bulldozers to the area to conduct a partial re-channeling of the river Thursday morning.

"We will prop up the riverbanks and clear the main waterway to prevent the floodwaters from flowing towards the nearby communities," he said in a radio interview.

As a long-term solution, he said they are planning to establish a dike and re-channel the river to allow the normal flow of water towards the Sarangani Bay.

Reyes said they have been closely monitoring the situation in the area now due to the onset of the heavy rains in the area since last week.

On Wednesday afternoon, he said they dispatched one of their bulldozers to conduct a remedial clearing of the river but they later pulled out due to its rising water level.

He said the bulk of the floodwaters were mainly from the river's tributaries in the upland portion of nearby Polomolok town in South Cotabato.