27 families flee as creek overflows in La Castellana

BACOLOD CITY — Twenty-seven families, comprising 92 people, were evacuated late Tuesday afternoon after Ibid Creek in Barangay Biak na Bato, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, overflowed amid continuous light rain.

John De Asis, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said strong currents had swept debris from Kanlaon Volcano’s activity downstream, causing floodwaters to reach homes in Sitio Tamburong.

A barangay official shared a video online showing the overflowing creek and appealed for rescue assistance for affected residents.

De Asis said sediment and mud deposited by volcanic activity had accumulated in the creek, causing it to overflow and diverting the strong current from upstream toward nearby houses.

No structural damage or injuries were reported, he added.

The affected residents had returned home by Wednesday morning.

De Asis said this was the second such incident, following a similar occurrence earlier this year triggered by heavy rain and volcanic activity.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology explains that heavy rainfall can wash loose deposits from past eruptions down volcanic slopes through rivers and channels, generating flows of water, sediment and debris known as lahars.

De Asis said the municipal government and barangay officials already had plans to relocate the affected residents to a safer area.

Five other families had previously moved to a new location after their houses were damaged in earlier incidents, he added.