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By Manny T. Ugalde and Rhaydz B. Barcia, Correspondents
LEGAZPI CITY: Continuous heavy rains threaten
Albay province with floods and landslides even as the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned of
possible mudflows threatening more than 7,000 residents living
within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone of Mount Mayon.
Provincial Disaster Management Office chief
Cedric Daep said the province was more concerned with possible
landslides and floods affecting residents outside the volcano’s
six-kilometer danger zone, as mudflows are not likely to happen.
The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council
ordered the local disaster officials across the province to enforce
the evacuation of residents.
In an emergency meeting of the Provincial
Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) officials presided by Albay
Gov. Joey Salceda, the PDCC chairman ordered the local chief
executives here to enforce evacuation of communities affected by
massive flooding or threatened by lahar flow, flash floods and
landslides.
“Zero casualty is our sacred goal. Preemptive
targeted evacuation of residents living within the mountains and
steep slopes should be done so I am taking personal charge of APSEMO,”
said the governor.
As of 1 p.m. on Thursday, there were 1,554
families or 8,250 persons evacuated to higher grounds for safety
from various municipalities and three cities here.
These evacuees came from the towns of Malilipot,
Sto. Domingo, Tiwi, Malinao, in Albay’s First District; Camalig,
Manito, in the Second District; Guinobatan, Oas, Libon, Polangui and
Jovellar in the Third District and the three cities of Legazpi,
Tabaco and Ligao.
“I’m officially asking the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan of Albay to consider the declaration of state of
calamity in hazard-prone areas like the towns of Libon, Polangui,
Guinobatan, Camalig, Manito, Oas, Bacacay, Malinao, Tiwi including
the cities of Ligao and Legazpi,” he added.
Salceda also recommended to city and municipal
mayors to implement localized declaration of state of calamity to
use their calamity funds as pre-disaster preparation to attain
zero casualties.
Unfortunately the zero casualty measure of the
provincial government might not be attained because four persons
have been reported missing since yesterday and were feared dead.
Gov. Joey Salceda said his office is closely
coordinating with Phivolcs since the province have experienced more
than two weeks of torrential rains. The Legazpi City weather
forecaster announced on Thursday that Pagasa has declared that the
province is under Gale warning No. 2 which is equivalent to typhoon
signal No. 2 covering a strong winds from 61 to 75 kilometers per
hour.
The preemptive evacuation effort were
ordered to avoid the repetition of November 30, 2006, when super
typhoon Reming hit hard Bicol leaving Albay with close to 2,000
residents killed due to lahar and mudflows from Mount Mayon. The
evacuation would cost some P19.5 million for food and medicines
involving some 35,000 families, covering a period of three days in
evacuation centers.
Daep said the present situation would not
require mass evacuation saying it would be on a case-to-case basis.
He said Legazpi City, and the towns of Sto. Domingo, Daraga,
Malilipot, Malinao and Libon have already started with their
evacuation on affected barangays.
Col. Elizir Bron, PNP Bicol Deputy regional
director for public affairs said that so far only the province of
Albay in Bicol has been most affected by the heavy downpour. He said
floods in Malilipot and Malinao towns in the first district have
already isolated certain towns in the second district.
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