124 Families Displaced in Iloilo City Due to Tropical Storm Kiyapo

INQUIRER FILES ILOILO CITY — Floods struck 43 barangays in Iloilo City on Friday as Tropical Storm Kiyapo (international name: Noul) and the enhanced southwest monsoon continued to dump rain over Western Visayas, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate while authorities maintained a blue alert status. In Situation Report No. 2 released at 8 p.m., the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center (ICEOC) said 124 families or 482 individuals had been affected by the weather disturbance, with 202 people from 66 families staying inside four evacuation centers. Floodwaters were reported in 43 barangays across the city’s seven districts, although conditions had improved in six villages by evening, leaving 37 barangays still flooded. The city also recorded five incidents of uprooted trees due to strong winds in Jaro, Lapaz and Mandurriao. No toppled electric poles were reported. Authorities said Kiyapo made landfall over Camiguin Island in Calayan, Cagayan on Friday afternoon before moving west northwestward at 30 kilometers per hour. As of 4 p.m., the storm packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph and gusts of up to 115 kph. Rainfall monitoring over the previous 12 hours showed the highest accumulation at the Sta. Cruz rain gauge with 43 millimeters, followed by West Visayas State University with 31 mm and Mandurriao Bureau of Fire Protection with 29 mm. The strongest wind was recorded at the Lapuz Depot at 64 kph. Among the hardest-hit areas were parts of Lapuz, where floodwaters in Sinikway reached 24 to 36 inches, Don Esteban (36 inches), and Loboc (24 to 36 inches). In La Paz district, floodwaters reached as high as 40 inches in LPNS, while Lopez Jaena Sur reported knee-high flooding. In Jaro, floodwaters reached 22 inches in San Isidro and 20 inches in Calubihan. The report also listed widespread flooding in Molo, Mandurriao, Arevalo and City Proper, with several areas submerged by 12 to 18 inches of water. Evacuation centers were activated in eight barangays, including Calubihan and San Vicente in Jaro, Ticud in Lapaz, Alalasan and Don Esteban in Lapuz, Airport in Mandurriao, and San Antonio and Infante in Molo. The city government said 2,000 food packs from the City Social Welfare and Development Office and 1,691 food boxes from the Department of Social Welfare and Development were on standby for distribution. Meanwhile, the Operations Center continued 24-hour monitoring of flood-prone areas, weather conditions, early warning devices and CCTV cameras, while coordinating with response agencies and barangay officials. As part of its precautionary measures, the city recommended shifting all schools to asynchronous alternative delivery mode on Saturday, July 25. Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant, monitor official advisories, and avoid flooded areas as Kiyapo and the southwest monsoon continue to affect large parts of the country.