At least 50 families in the village of Marcos Drive Putik here woke up Sunday dawn with their homes flooded.

Feliciano Mariano said he and his family woke up with their house on the 3rd Street in the same village already submerged in water.

Even the house of Francisco Barredo, the city's Social Welfare Officer, was not spared.

"Water is rising and current is very strong, people have to be evacuated immediately," Barredo said Sunday morning.

He said two other riverside villages, Boalan and Tugbungan, suffered the same situation.

At around 7 a.m. Sunday, two Air Force helicopters flew over the flooded villages.

Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander Rear Admiral Alexander Pama said two teams of disaster relief and rehabilitation personnel were able to rescue at least 24 families.

Pama said evacuation and rescue operation continued as 4 p.m. Sunday.

Zamboanga City Water District spokesperson Dolly Galvan said due to continuous rains, the water level at the Pasonanca dam has reached the critical level of 75.5 compared to the normal level of 74.

Barredo said the city government has already put up a disaster operation center at the city hall to attend to those who have been affected.

Power was also shut down in the flooded villages.