Cagayan Valley braces for ‘Crising;’ parts of Visayas hit by floods
TUGUEGARAO CITY—Over 33,000 families across Cagayan Valley are at risk of displacement as Tropical Depression “Crising” approaches, with authorities warning of heavy rains, flooding and landslides in the coming days.
At a regional disaster preparedness briefing on Thursday, Lucia Alan, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, said Cagayan province would be the most affected, with more than 31,600 families who would need more than 127,000 food packs.
Isabela could also see more than 1,100 families being displaced while Nueva Vizcaya may be affected with 336 families.
Landslide-prone communities have been placed under heightened alert as 693 villages in Cagayan, 191 in Isabela, and 17 in Nueva Vizcaya face varying levels of landslide risk, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the region.
Agnes de Leon, regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, has ordered local governments to enforce preparedness protocols, including clearing roads, halting mining and tourism activities, and ensuring travel restrictions for small boats in coastal areas.
Heavy rain, ‘habagat’
At least 19 coastal towns in Cagayan and Isabela are under storm surge threats, with sea levels expected to rise about 2 meters, according to Romeo Ganal, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
These include 15 coastal towns in Cagayan—such as Aparri, Santa Ana, and Calayan—and four towns in Isabela, including Palanan and Maconacon.
The Bicol region was also reeling from the effects of Crising and the enhanced southwest monsoon (“habagat”), as heavy rains forced suspension of air and sea travel and cancellation of classes.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines announced the cancellation of six flights at airports in Masbate City, Naga City and Virac (Catanduanes) due to poor weather conditions.
Classes were suspended in Catanduanes, Masbate, and different towns in Albay and Camarines Sur.
Pagasa’s 5 p.m. bulletin on Thursday showed Crising’s position at 335 kilometers northeast of Virac, or 545 km east of Baler, Aurora.
The threat of heavy rains brought by Crising and habagat prompted many local governments in the Visayas to suspend classes on Thursday.
On Thursday, heavy rains triggered flooding in low-lying communities, sending people evacuating from their homes in nine Negros Occidental localities.
Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, said they recorded more than 2,000 evacuees from the cities of Sipalay, Kabankalan and Himamaylan, and the towns of Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Binalbagan, Ilog, Hinigaran and Moises Padilla.
Prior to the monsoon rains on Thursday, some 28 local governments in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, canceled classes in all levels.
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria also ordered a province-wide suspension of classes on Thursday.
In Cebu, classes were suspended on Thursday in 22 localities—the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Bogo, and the towns of Daanbantayan, Santa Fe, Samboan, Medellin, Alcoy, Tabogon, Santander, San Remigio, Minglanilla, Malabuyoc, Sogod, Tuburan, Tabuelan, Alcantara, Dalaguete, Oslob, Ginatilan, Moalboal and Badian.
Classes were also suspended in several areas in the provinces of Leyte, Samar and Biliran in Eastern Visayas region, and Jagna town in Bohol province.
The southwest monsoon had been dumping heavy rains into the Visayas since Wednesday, swamping major streets in Cebu, Talisay and Mandaue cities with floodwater.
In Zamboanga City in Mindanao, bad weather led the local government to suspend on Thursday all classes as well as work in city government offices, except those rendering front-line services. —REPORTS FROM VILLAMOR VISAYA JR., MA. APRIL MIER-MANJARES, CARLA GOMEZ, JHUNNEX NAPALLACAN, JOEY GABIETA, LEO UDTOHAN AND RYAN ROSAURO
