Hundreds displaced by flash flood in upland Cotabato town

COTABATO CITY — Around 700 villagers were forced to evacuate to higher ground after a large river in the hinterland town of Magpet, Cotabato, swelled and overflowed due to heavy rain late Sunday, October 20, inundating farming villages along its downstream route.

 The local government unit of Magpet and the office of Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza in separate reports released on Monday morning said that the barangay folks in farming enclaves close to the banks of the Bantac River that straddles some barangays in the municipality have relocated to upland areas.

Emergency responders were dispatched to extend essential relief support, according to Mendoza.

The flash flood ravaged around 200 hectares of corn and orchard farms, according to barangay officials and personnel of the Magpet Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

 Mendoza, the chairperson of the Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said she has directed the personnel of their provincial agriculture office to assess the damage to crops the flash flood caused and help affected farmers rehabilitate their flood-stricken farms.