Over 1,000 families flee heavy rains, floods

CDO downgrades alert over swollen Iponan River

Local officials have declared Cagayan de Oro under state of calamity after heavy rains triggered massive flooding that forced hundreds of residents to seek safer ground.

Among the hundreds of evacuees were Alicia Rivero and her 4 grandchildren, who went to the Bulao Elementary School as floodwaters rose around their home in Barangay Iponan.

At another evacuation center in Barangay Macasindig's covered court, Josette Dionson and her 4 children slept on cardboard sheets beside some 200 other families after waist-high floods submerged their house.

More than 1,000 families have voluntarily fled to evacuation centers across Cagayan de Oro, according to the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

• IN PHOTOS: Flash floods leave thousands stranded in Cagayan de Oro City

The city government also carried out forced evacuation in the villages of Tumpagon, Pigsag-an, Lumbia, Tuburan, Pagalungan, Sansimon, Iponan, Blua, Pagatpat and Canitoan as the water level in Iponan River reached critical level.

The river returned to its normal level early Wednesday, prompting disaster officials to downgrade the alert level from red to yellow.

TINGNAN: Tubig sa Iponan River sa Cagayan de Oro, nasa normal na lebel na. | via Cris Andrade pic.twitter.com/kfSM7zimSF

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) January 16, 2017

Authorities are still conducting rescue operations for over 1,000 students stranded by floods at the University of Science and Technology of the Southern Philippines.

Local officials have also suspended Tuesday classes in the city, from pre-school to high school.

State weather bureau PAGASA warned a low pressure area will dump occasionally heavy rains that could trigger landslides and floods in parts of Visayas and Mindanao today.

-- With reports from Cris Angelo Andrade and Joey Taguba, ABS-CBN News