‘Ada’ leaves 2 dead in Sorsogon; floods displace Bicol, Visayas folk
LEGAZPI CITY—Two residents of Barangay Bariis in Matnog town, Sorsogon, were killed early Saturday when a rockslide triggered by Tropical Storm “Ada” (international name: Nokaen) destroyed their home, authorities said
The victims, a 23-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, were asleep inside their house when disaster struck at 12:10 a.m. amid heavy rains brought by Ada, the first major storm to enter the country this year.
In neighboring Albay province, heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in several towns, rendering roads and bridges impassable and prompting evacuations.
Debris blocked roads in Albay’s Guinobatan town, particularly in the villages of Masarawag, Tandarora, and parts of Muladbucad Grande.
A minor landslide was reported in Barangay Lourdes, Tiwi town, also in Albay, blocking a road.
In Manito town, strong river currents swept away a bamboo bridge connecting Barangays Cawit and It-ba.
Lahar threat
Daraga Mayor Victor Perete said 509 families from the villages of Budiao, Bañadero, Malobago, Matnog, and Busay were evacuated due to the threat of lahar flows from Mayon Volcano. Flooding also rendered a spillway in Budiao impassable. Polangui town reported several family evacuations as well.
The storm also affected Eastern Visayas, affecting at least 17,941 families, or 40,967 people.
Eastern Samar was the hardest-hit province, with 16,809 families (37,195 people) affected in Borongan City and the municipalities of Guiuan, Oras, Lawaan, Llorente, Sulat, Can-avid, Dolores, and Jipapad.
In flood-prone Jipapad town, Samar, at least 2,836 families (10,063 people) were affected after 13 barangays were inundated.
Jipapad Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Vicky Abestros said 199 families (599 people) were evacuated, and the town remained without power, public water, or mobile signal, relying only on internet service provided by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
Biliran province reported flooding that had affected 1,132 families (3,772 people) across all its eight municipalities, with landslides prompting evacuations.
Rescued
In Tacloban City, responders were able to rescue a 9-year-old girl after she was swept away by the strong currents of Palanog River.
Amid bad weather, fires were reported in La Paz, Leyte, and in Catarman, Northern Samar, with the latter causing minor injuries.
Flooding also affected towns in Leyte, including Sta. Fe, Palo, Carigara, and Leyte town, as well as areas in Northern Samar. Utility posts fell down and disrupted power supply between Laoang and Pambujan, also in Northern Samar.
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