Hundreds of families evacuated due to flash floods in S. Philippines

Hundreds of families were evacuated Sunday as a low pressure area brought more rains in southern Philippines resulting to flash floods, a senior government official said. Undersecretary Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said a flash flood occurred in three villages in Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental province at around 2:00 a.m.. As a result, he said, 149 families or 699 people were evacuated to a church and a village hall. At least four villages were also hit by flooding in Surigao del Norte province, where 166 families or 670 individuals were evacuated, said Ramos. Ramos said alert levels were raised in four rain gauge stations in central and southern Philippines.