MANILA (UCAN): One person died and nearly 6,000 families were evacuated as the central Philippines was hit by the heaviest rain on record. The inundation has battered Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces in the Eastern Visayas region in the central Philippines since November 20.
“The rainfall that caused massive flooding in Northern Samar is the highest-ever recorded in the Philippines. It is the result of the combined effects of the monsoon and the shear line,” said Dr. Cedric Daep, chief of the Public Safety and Emergency Management Office in the nearby Bicol region, Albay province.
As of November 23 a resident of Ynaguingayan village in Northern Samar was killed by a landslide while nearly 5,843 families in Northern Samar and 195 in Eastern Samar had been evacuated, according to officials.
There was 619 millimeters of rainfall, more than the normal 457.8 millimeters for the entire month of November, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration station in Catarman
Daep, an expert in disaster management, visited the affected areas. He is the mastermind behind the blueprint that established a disaster management office under a local government in the Philippines, a first in Asia.
The rainfall that caused massive flooding in Northern Samar is the highest-ever recorded in the Philippines. It is the result of the combined effects of the monsoon and the shear line
Dr. Cedric Daep
The Northern Samar government said that Daep’s statement illiminated “the gravity of this natural calamity, prompting a call for immediate attention and support for the affected localities.”
Several roads were rendered useless in Catarman, Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, and Lapinig in Northern Samar. Many places have reported power failures.
Benjamin Ver, the mayor of Jipapad in Eastern Samar, said the volume of rainfall in his town was unexpected. “It was raining hard for two days. We were shocked because for almost five hours the floodwater kept rising,” he said.
Ver said that the administration conducted a preemptive evacuation, even using churches to accommodate the evacuees. “We will wait for the water to subside before we can distribute relief items to the other villages,” he added.
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He also attributed the flooding to “climate change” noting, Jipapad serves as a “catch basin” for two surrounding and interconnected rivers, and “we now lack trees.”
It was raining hard for two days. We were shocked because for almost five hours the floodwater kept rising
Benjamin Ver
Edwin Ongchuan, governor of Northern Samar, suspended classes in the province from November 20 “as a precautionary measure to prioritise the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.”
Disaster management units took part in the evacuation of thousands of students at the University of Eastern Philippines and other private schools in Catarman.
“The operation was carried out amidst challenging conditions, including road closures and flooding,” the Northern Samar provincial government said.
“We have provided basic necessities like medicines and sanitary facilities,’ said Ongchuan. The governor urged local communities to help rebuild the lives of affected people.
Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was to visit Northern Samar on November 23, but was prevented by bad weather. He did visit Tacloban.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development shelled out 3,45 million pesos in aid [US$61,965] for the affected areas.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on November 26 that said a total of 1,003,271 persons were affected in seven regions, including Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Eastern and Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga.
Also on November 26, PAGASA, the Philippine weather bureau, reported that a shear line—where cold air from the northeast interacts with warm air from the Pacific Ocean—would continue to bring rains over mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, and northern portions of Quezon.
