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By Rhaydz B. Barcia, Correspondent
Persistent heavy rain has left 45 people dead
and displaced hundreds of thousands in southern Philippines, the
government said Thursday, as weather forecasters say more rains and
floods can be expected in the coming days.
Ten additional deaths were reported in six
provinces in the eastern Bicol Region, from only 35 already reported
last week, while 31 people were reported injured, the Office of
Civil Defense reported.
The deaths were mostly located in Bicol, Eastern
Visayas and parts of Mindanao, said the National Disaster
Coordinating Council in a statement.
Landslides and floods have affected 137 towns in
the Philippines since last week, displacing some 873,000 residents
or 180,809 families who sought shelter in evacuation camps, the
council said.
Damage to property was estimated at P1.312
billion ($32.56 million) for infrastructure and agriculture.
At least 2,001 houses were destroyed and 3,740
more damaged.
In the latest incident, the Provincial Disaster
Coordinating Council in Albay ordered the evacuation of more than
40,000 families or more than 200,000 people living in high-risk
areas for landslide here.
For almost two weeks now, torrential rains
pelted Albay province, prompting disaster authorities to enforce
preemptive evacuation of some 40,514 families living in 82
mountainous areas.
Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda, the chairman of
the provincial disaster council, told The Manila Times that the
newly created Landslide Advanced Monitoring Team has identified
landslide-threatened villages in the towns of Camalig with five
upland villages; Ligao City, with 10 villages: three villages each
for the towns of Oas and Bacacay; two villages each in Guinobatan
and Legazpi City; and one village each in the towns of Daraga,
Polangui, and Libon.
“The priority areas for immediate evacuation
measures are the residents of Camalig town covering the villages of
Ligban, Gutob, Mina, Tagoytoy and Baligang with 3,000 families
affected; 100 families in Libon; and some 800 families in the
Guinobatan barangays of Morera and Malapnig have to be moved out to
safer grounds,” he said.
Areas subject for further evaluation for
landslide occurrences are the barangays of Pinaric, Bogtong, Lignon
Hill in Legazpi City; Barangay Kimantong in Daraga; and barangays
Del Rosario, Casinagan, and Camagong in Oas town.
Salceda has directed disaster authorities to
coordinate with the mayors of affected towns and to evacuate
residents to a safe distance of at least two kilometers from the
base of the slopes where landslides may occur.
“After sustaining five deaths even without a
typhoon, I directed the [provincial disaster council] to execute
preemptive measures. We cannot afford or just allow a Guinsaugon
incident to happen here—God forbid, so I am asking our residents
to be on alert and pray,” he said.
-- With AFP and Xinhua
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