BACOLOD CITY\u2014More than 17,000 people were moved out of their homes on Friday, New Year\u2019s Day, as floods swamped some areas in Negros Occidental \u2026<\/b>
\nBACOLOD CITY\u2014More than 17,000 people were moved out of their homes on Friday, New Year\u2019s Day, as floods swamped some areas in Negros Occidental province. Zephard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, said the floods that inundated the cities of Talisay, Silay and Victorias and the town of EB Magalona were brought by heavy rains and high tide. In Victorias City, some residents sent out text messages for help from their rooftops as flood waters rose. \u201cWe had a fireworks display to usher in the New Year at the city plaza. And here comes the flood that caught everybody by surprise after midnight,\u201d Victorias Mayor Francis Palanca said. \u201cIt was raining in the hinterlands for days. The soil has been soaked, so we were hit by runoff water,\u201d he added. An initial report showed that at least 1,508 individuals had evacuated in Victorias City. In Silay City, floods hit the villages of I, II, V, Hawaiian, E. Lopez, Guinhalaran, Lantad, Mambulac and Rizal, displacing at least 403 people. In Talisay City, floods displaced 3,467 families at the villages of Bubog, Zone 1, Zone 3, Zone 2, Zone 10, Zone 16 and Zone 12. In EB Magalona, flooding hit 307 households at the villages of Tanza, San Jose, Santo Nino, Consing, Latasan and San Isidro.<\/p>\n