2 dead, 27,000 displaced as Bicol remains flooded

NO WAY OUT A government team works double time to clear a section of a road in Viga, Catanduanes, on Friday, following a massive landslide due to heavy rains. Vehicles heading in and out of Viga had been stranded due to mud, rocks and debris blocking this road. —JASPER ADRIAN TUBEO SIDLACAN/CONTRIBUTOR

LEGAZPI CITY—Amid relentless heavy rains brought by a shear line in the Bicol region, an unidentified man believed to have drowned was found floating in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur and a 53-year-old farmer died after being swept away by strong floodwater in Irosin town in Sorsogon province on Friday.

The Lagonoy municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO) reported that the body of the elderly man, estimated to be 60 years old, was discovered near Bilog Falls in Barangay Cabotonan at around 10 a.m.

The other fatality was identified as Florentino Echane, a resident of Barangay (village) Batang in Irosin, whose body was recovered some 6.5 kilometers away in Barangay Macawayan at around 8 a.m., said Police Staff Sergeant Joemel Alama of the Irosin police in a phone interview.

Torrential rains triggered widespread landslides and flooding across several parts of the Bicol region, forcing residents in vulnerable and low-lying areas to flee their homes.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol said in a report Friday that 1,062 families, or 27,189 individuals, were evacuated from 48 villages in Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Sorsogon provinces.

UNIDENTIFIED Rescuers place in a body bag the remains of an unidentified man found near Bilog Falls at Barangay Cabotonan in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur, on Friday amid heavy rains that triggered widespread flooding and landslides in the Bicol region. —PHOTO COURTESY OF LAGONOY MUNICIPAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OFFICE

As of 9 a.m., Friday, three villages in Caramoan and Nabua towns in Camarines Sur were still flooded.

On Thursday night, more villages in Sorsogon City in Sorsogon province were also submerged in floodwaters due to swelling of rivers.

By noon Friday, floodwater started to subside in some areas in Sorsogon City and Donsol, Sorsogon; and in nine villages in Legazpi City in Albay, the OCD said.

Several landslide incidents were also reported in Catanduanes, Albay and Sorsogon.

The region has been experiencing heavy rains since Tuesday, prompting suspension of work and classes in some provinces.

In Sorsogon City, at least 11 villages were affected by flooding, the OCD has said, while the city’s disaster risk reduction and management office (CDRRMO) reported on Friday that at least 797 families, or 2,012 residents, sought refuge in evacuation centers. The CDRRMO assured relief assistance distribution was ongoing.

Landslides

In Sorsogon’s Bulusan town, clearing operations were carried out to remove debris from landslides that blocked roads in the villages of Bagacay and Dancalan.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raised a red rainfall warning over Sorsogon since Thursday night, indicating a high risk of flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.

In Catanduanes, debris from a landslide partially blocked a road in Barangay Sagrada, Viga town, at around 6:45 a.m. on Friday. A landslide also rendered a road impassable in Barangay Genitligan, Baras town, on Wednesday. In Bato town, motorists were advised to exercise caution when crossing Barangay Marinawa due to falling rocks and eroding soil.

Heavy rains in Albay caused erosion at Kapuntukan Hill in Barangay Dap-Dap of Legazpi City, prompting the temporary closure of a portion of the road. Two separate landslides were also reported in the city’s Barangay Buraguis on Wednesday. The roads have since been cleared but authorities advised motorists to remain vigilant.

A yellow rainfall warning was issued for Albay, with moderate to heavy rains expected in Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.