MANILA (SE): Heavy rains and flooding on December 26, forced almost 46,000 from their homes in the southern Philippines, with waters rising above the chest in some areas, according to a report from UCAN.
Archbishop Martin Jumoad of Ozamis, Mindanao, called for prayers and help for those affected, including his archdiocese, CBCPNews reported. The archbishop offered prayers for the flood victims during Christmas Day Mass at the archdiocesan shrine of Birhen sa Cotta and appealed for relief for those affected.
“Let us continue to pray that more help will come to them,” Archbishop Jumoad said as the archdiocese’s Social Action Centre began its relief operations on that same day.
“Let us also offer prayers that weather conditions improve,” he said.
Philippine authorities reported eight people dead and 19 were missing. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council [NDRMMC] said that six fatalities were reported in Misamis Occidental and two in Camarines Sur. Those missing were reported in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. Most, were fisherfolk who still sailed despite the bad weather, CBCPNews reported.
The agency also said that of the affected population, 44,672 individuals or 9,216 families were displaced and spent Christmas in evacuation centres.
UCAN reported that at the height of the flooding, the Philippine coastguard said it rescued members of more than two dozen families in Ozamiz city and Clarin town. The coastguard also said strong winds and big waves sank a fishing boat on Christmas Day off the coast of the central island of Leyte. Two crew members were killed, while six others were rescued.
