TACLOBAN CITY – Forced evacuation is ongoing in the coastal areas of Northern Samar province as Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 is hoisted in Samar Island due to Typhoon 'Bising' Sunday, April 18.
As of 3 a.m., at least 119 families or 524 individuals had already been evacuated in the province as strong winds and heavy rains are being experienced in Eastern Visayas, while all sea voyages for all types of vessels remain suspended.
PLtCol. Bella Rentuaya, Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) information officer, said a total of 1,581 personnel for search and rescue operations were deployed in the region, while 637 are on standby.
A total of 885 passengers have been stranded in Liloan port in Southern Leyte province and Allen port in Northern Samar. Of these, 180 are stranded in Liloan port bound for Mindanao, while 705 are stranded in Allen ports bound for Luzon.
Coast Guard Eastern Visayas District Commander Capt. Dante Viliran, said all these stranded passengers are being taken care of by concerned local government units in coordination with the shipping companies and assisted by some of their personnel from the station.
Most of the passengers are being billeted in hotels as all vessels, especially those in Northern Samar have already taken shelter in Masbate.
No passenger is allowed to stay inside the terminal premises to prevent violation of IATF protocols, particularly in social distancing.
All roads remain passable while personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways are on standby for possible clearing operations.
Meantime, at least 12 houses were razed by a fire Sunday (Apr. 18) while Guiuan, Eastern Samar was experiencing heavy downpour and strong winds brought about by Typhoon 'Bising'.
Residents of Brgy. Poblacion 06 were awaken by the blaze that occurred around 3:20 a.m.
Initial investigation disclosed that the fire was caused by an electric spark from an electric post that spread to the twelve houses made out of light materials.
It was declared fire out at about 5:50 a.m. by responding team, leaving the families homeless.
The estimated total cost of damage is P250 thousand. There was no reported casualty nor injured among the residents.
Authorities are still conducting a follow-up investigation on the incident.