Waterspouts swamp 3 Lanao villages

LINAMON, Lanao del Norte -- Two waterspouts dumped tons of water on at least three coastal villages here of this town Thursday evening, Vice Mayor Procopio Chang said Friday.

Chang said the waterspouts were accompanied by "lighting strikes."

He said residents of Barangay (village) Magoong heard a roaring sound around 7:30 p.m. before water swamped their village, Barangay Samburon and part of the poblacion (town center) area.

"The water level was at five feet high and residents had to flee to higher ground," Chang said.

No casualty was reported but the incident damaged property, including livestock and crops.

Teaching materials at the Samburon Elementary School were also damaged by the water, according to Chang.

Luz Patalinghog, municipal social welfare officer, said at least 68 families were directly affected by the floods.

In 1999, a flashflood also hit this town, killing seven people.(By Richel Umel)