(Editor’s Note: Earlier, we reported a statement from Cagayan provincial information officer Rogie Sending that a man died of drowning when his boat capsized in Peñablanca town. Further verification revealed that the victim died of heart attack moments after he was rescued from the capsizing boat. This story was updated to reflect necessary updates and corrections.)
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- (UPDATED) The town of Allacapan in Cagayan province was placed under state of calamity due to widespread flooding caused by heavy rains of Tropical Storm Odette.
The Allacapan town council passed the resolution placing the town under statement of calamity and was approved by Mayor Harry Florida late Friday morning, October 13.
In his interview with a local radio station, Florida said almost all the 27 barangays (villages) were affected by flooding due to overnight rain.
Florida said that six villages remain isolated due to waist-high floods. Three overflow bridges were also submerged by swollen rivers.
About half of the 9,860 hectares rice fields were flooded, the mayor said.
Tropical Storm Odette made landfall in Santa Ana town, also in Cagayan province, early Friday morning. The tropical storm brought moderate to heavy rains, making some bridges impassable.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) of Cagayan said the Abusag-Bagunot overflow bridge in Baggao town and the Tawi Overflow Bridge in Peñablanca (Cabasan Detour) are impassable since Thursday, October 12.
The Task Force Lingkod Cagayan also reported landslide in Claveria and Baggao towns but clearing operations has since been launched.
All flights to and from Tuguegarao were also cancelled.
‘No families affected’
There were no affected families during the onslaught of Tropical Depression Odette in Cagayan Valley, the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) said in earlier interview Friday.
DSWD-Cagayan Valley regional director Lucia Alan told Rappler that the agency has not monitored any evacuation in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Batanes, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
“Dahil hindi naman kalakasan iyong bagyo at dahil sa lessons from previous typhoons like Lawin (Haima) ay nakahanda na tayo,” Alan said.
(It was because the storm was not strong and we also have learned our lessons from previous typhoons like Lawin.)
Alan added that although there were floods reported, those were only “minor” cases and did not cause evacuations.
“There are floods reported but it was the ricefields that are mainly affected,” she said.
No casualty
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Cagayan Valley has not reported any casualty as of 5 pm on Friday.
The Cagayan public information office earlier reported one casualty but the municipal disaster team Peñablanca clarified that it was not related to Tropical Storm Odette.
The supposed fatality, identified as certain Felix Cusipag, 85, was earlier rescued after the rubber boat he is riding capsized in Bugatay village.
Cusipag later died of cardiac arrest while lining up for Typhoon Lawin assistance program of DSWD. Northernforum.net
