More than 10,000 people across Oriental Mindoro have been affected by severe flooding, with nearly 1,000 residents taking shelter in evacuation centers as monsoon rains enhanced by Typhoon Dante continue to batter Mindoro island, disaster officials said Thursday.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that 3,669 families comprising 10,669 individuals have been impacted by floods that have submerged communities across all municipalities and one city.

According to the latest PDRRMO situation report issued, a total of 216 families or 818 persons are currently taking temporary shelter inside designated evacuation centers, while another 718 families with 3,278 individuals are staying with relatives and friends outside the centers.

Four major rivers in Oriental Mindoro have reached critical levels.

The Bucayao River in Calapan City reached critical level as of 4:46 AM, July 24, while the nearby Panggalaan River hit the same dangerous threshold at 1:00 AM.

The Longos River, also in Calapan City, was recorded at critical level as of 4:45 AM, and the Alag River in Baco municipality reached critical level at 4:04 AM.

Two other rivers – Pula River in Socorro and Bansud River in Bansud – were recorded at above normal levels, while the Mag-asawang Tubig in Naujan remained at critical level as of 6:00 AM Thursday.

The flooding has severely disrupted transportation, with eight major roads declared impassable to all types of vehicles and two roads restricted to light vehicles only.

Flood waters have inundated dozens of barangays across the affected municipalities, with water levels ranging from 0.25 feet to 4.5 feet.

Calapan City has been particularly hard hit, with 17 barangays experiencing flooding.

Among the most affected areas are Gutad with flood depths of 1-3.5 feet, Nag-iba 2 with 1.5 feet of water, Batino at 1.5 feet, Bucayao at 1.5 feet, and Sta. Cruz under 2 feet of floodwater.

Victoria recorded the highest water levels, with Alcate barangay submerged under 4.5 feet of floodwater, while several other barangays reported depths of 1-2 feet.

The prolonged flooding has inflicted massive damage to the province’s agricultural sector, with losses reaching P15,238,488.10 as of Wednesday evening, according to PDRRMO assessment teams.

The disaster has also resulted in additional incidents including two landslides – affecting Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, and Bongabong – and two vehicular accidents in Bongabong and Naujan unrelated to the weather disturbance.

Emergency response teams remain on high alert as weather forecasters warn of continued rainfall in the coming days.

Local government units have activated their disaster response protocols and are coordinating with national agencies to provide assistance to affected communities.

The PDRRMO has established communication lines for emergency assistance, with residents urged to contact 0920-951-3690 or 0948-146-0382 for immediate help.

*This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Contact: opswarningdlvpdrrmo@gmail.com