A red alert status was raised in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following the massive flooding that has affected around 94,395 families.

The Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRMC) raised the alert status from “blue” to “red” due to the massive flooding caused by heavy rains spawned by the Southwest Monsoon since last week.

“Now that we are on red alert, it is expected that our response will be intensified in coordination with various government agencies including the local government,” Leobelo Joefel Delicana of the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Response (READi) was quoted as saying.

Several areas in the region were affected, including Matanog in Maguindanao del Norte and the towns of Malabang and Balabagan in Lanao del Sur.

According to the Office of the Civil Defense-BARMM, five people were reported dead in Maguindanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

The Bangsamoro government said around 343 barangays in the region have been affected by the flood as of this writing.