NorMin cities suspend work, classes due to LPA


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Two cities in Northern Mindanao Region on Monday suspended classes and work as the low pressure area (LPA) caused flooding in several communities.

A memorandum issued by Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia said Sunday’s torrential rains have caused major roads and bridges to flood, making them impassable to vehicles.

He said some areas were affected by landslides as reported by the City's Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (DRRMC), which damaged the roads and other infrastructures.

"For our constituents to clean their respective homes and prevent our workers and students from the effects of the LPA, work in both private and public government offices and classes in all levels in public and private schools are hereby suspended," Regencia said.

The mayor though required workers in the public safety services, emergency response, medical services, and disaster response to continue with their operations.

As of Monday morning, the Iligan-DRRM Office conducted several rescue operations, one of which was at Zone Caugmaran, Barangay Suarez, from midnight to 7:40 a.m.

Rescuers extracted around 17 people trapped in their houses due to flooding.

In Misamis Oriental, Gingoog City Mayor Erick Cañosa also suspended classes as a preemptive move, especially in flood-prone areas.

The province's DRRMC has continued to monitor water levels of major rivers.

In El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, the Tag-ilas Spillway in Barangay Hinigdaan, was still overflowing at 7 a.m. after heavy rain on Sunday night.

A video shared on Facebook by the El Salvador-DRRMC showed that some motorists were careful in crossing the flooded road. (PNA)