Floods, Rains Leave Trail Of Destruction In Zamboanga

Residents in Zamboanga City inspect Sunday 08 Oct 2006 their villages as torrential rains leaves a trail of destruction in Zamboanga Peninsula. (Darwin Wee / Uly Israel)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 08 Oct) – Torrential rains have flooded many villages and affected thousands of people as it ravaged the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga.

Heavy rains the past days have flooded rice paddies and rivers overflowed submerging many villages. Residents affected by flashfloods have sought safe refuge in government schools across Zamboanga as local officials held emergency session on Sunday to draw up plans to help those affected by the inter-tropical convergence zone.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional office in Zamboanga City said floods also affected many areas in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which comprises the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay.

It said some P14 million in seaweeds and aquaculture farms were damaged by the rain. "These are all initial reports and we are afraid that there are more damages in seaweed farms across the Peninsula because of the bad weather,” BFAR's chief regulatory division senior aqua-culturist Francisco A. Cadiz told the Mindanao Examiner.

"We are still waiting for the reports of our satellite offices in the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay," Mr. Cadiz who is also the current Fisheries officer-in-charge, said.

He said more than 1,000 hectares of seaweed farms weredestroyed by the rain in Zamboanga City alone, particularly in the villages of Tumaga, Ayala, Culianan, Manicahan, Curuan, and Vitali. Cages and fences of at least 700 hectares of fish pans were also destroyed. Over P3 million were lost.

About 3,000 seaweed and fish pan growers were affected by floods and rain.

"As far, as I could remember this is the worst and costly damage toour fishermen, and seaweed growers," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)