Floods in Eastern Samar leave 1 dead, displace over 45,000
TACLOBAN CITY—At least 28,724 families composed of 45,844 individuals from a city and eight towns in Eastern Samar were affected by widespread flooding triggered by nonstop rains brought on by a shear line since last March 20.
The heavy rains also led to the death of Alberto Campo, 66, of Barangay Burak, Llorente town, who drowned after his pump boat capsized due to a strong sea current.
His body was recovered on Sunday, March 23, in a river at Sitio Can-ilo, Barangay Cantomco of the town at around 9:52 a.m., according to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Llorente.
His wife, Myla, who survived the incident, reported that their boat sank around 10 a.m. on March 20 as they were heading home.
A report from the Eastern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said the areas hit by severe flooding included Borongan City, the provincial capital; and the towns of Taft, San Policarpo, Sulat, Maslog, Can-avid, Maydolong, Dolores and San Julian.
Impassable road
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Eastern Samar reported that a section along Wright-Taft road in Borongan was rendered impassable to all types of vehicles due to flooding.
Initial assessments by the PDRRMO showed that agricultural losses in Taft and Can-avid alone have reached P3.3 million.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the region has distributed over 19,000 family food packs to the towns of Taft, Can-avid, San Policarpo, Sulat and Borongan City.
The agency assured that 125,000 food packs were still available for further relief operations for the affected families.
The rains were caused by a shear line which occurs when cold fronts interact with easterly trades, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Shear lines can cause long periods of rain which can lead to flooding and landslides. The rains can be light, but they can also be heavy or intense which last for about four days.
Meanwhile, a Panamanian-flagged vessel named MV Fionan dropped anchor off the waters of Barangay Cabatuan, Palapag town, Northern Samar on March 22, after it experienced a mechanical problem amid the bad weather.
Merlinda Flores, Cabatuan barangay chair, informed authorities that villagers had spotted the vessel at around 2 a.m.
The vessel, with 23 Vietnamese crew members, including the captain, departed from Australia and was en route to Vietnam when it dropped anchor for shelter and mechanical repairs.
Due to a language barrier, authorities led by the Philippine Coast Guard were unable to obtain further details, including information on the vessel’s cargo.
The Office of Civil Defense in the region placed most of Eastern Visayas under a red warning category last March 20, indicating the potential for heavy rains that could trigger flooding and landslides.
It advised all local governments to remain on high alert and take necessary precautions to prevent the loss of lives.
