Worst Flash Floods Destroy Volumes
By Philippine Information Agency - Batanes

Noted to be the worst flood in Batanes, it caught residents unalarmed in February 22, 2001. The 4-1/2-hour continues heavy downpour caused volumes of destructions of farms, roads, flood control, bridges, buildings, private houses, livestock and vegetation.

The hardest hit was barangay San Antonio of Basco. Tons of soils were carried to town by the strong floods. Tremendous landslides paved trees and logs with the flood thus worsened the situation, blocking its flood control. Water overflowed derailing itself from soil filled flood control. The flood increase to a height that threatened lives of residents in the said barangay that many had to flee unmindful of what fate their abandoned belongings would become. Soil leveled nearly the rooftops of lower structures. Some furniture's were found on rooftops next day top prevent them from being soaked to mud.

School children were sent home in mid afternoon when water was still two feet high. While employees had to risk above-the-knee water at around 5 PM.

Western wall of San Antonio Barangay Hall is endangered by the collapse of the adjacent flood control while western wall of BATANELCO building was in danger of collapsing due to soil erosion.

Thick soil that covered main streets of Basco had to be shoveled for days. Clearing was done daily to normalize mobilization. Distribution of relief goods from DSWD and civic organization was immediately in operation to families whose clothing's were soaked to mud, whose kitchen utensils and root crops and food supplies floated with the flood. Pigs and other belongings had to be picked at the shore if there were left within reach.

Folks of above 65 years recalled that there been no flood as huge as that in Batanes, floods that carried stones, mud, logs and uprooted trees.

Governor Gato and Basco Mayor Aberilla personally reported to malacañang two days after the calamity.

Congressman Florencio Abad arrived on February 28, 2001 and assured the victims and the people of Batanes that he would make representatives for immediate rehabilitation of destroyed infrastructures.

Typhoons, earthquakes and floods are calamities that devastate in mass; however, as Cong. Abad puts it crisis brings about a change. We should not look at the crisis as problem but as a springboard for renewed efforts and stronger faith in our capacity to overcome obstacles.

It was fortunate that it flooded art daytime, were it at night (no power then for a couple of days) their might had been deaths. Families would have panicked in feeling the rising water inside there houses, then evacuating in the dark could have been too risky.