TACLOBAN CITY – At least 611 villages in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) have been warned of possible flooding and landslides due to low pressure area (LPA), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) reported on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
MGB Region 8 senior geologist Rodrigo Jay Miralles said the list of highly susceptible villages released on January 24 has been shared with local government units to facilitate planning activities.
“This does not mean that the entire village (is) prone to flooding or landslide. There is only a certain part of the village that is at risk,” Miralles said in a phone interview.
Of the 611 villages, 490 are in Eastern Samar, 64 in Northern Samar, 53 in Southern Leyte, and four in Leyte province.
The MGB advised the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees to coordinate with their City or Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils to plan for any emergency, including identification of safe and suitable evacuation centers.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned of a heavy downpour due to the storm on Tuesday.
In a flood advisory, the weather bureau identified several rivers in six provinces that would likely be affected by the downpour.
These are Sangputan, Palo, Solano, Daguitan, Marabong, Cadacan, Bongquirogon, Salug, Pagbanagaran, Pagsangahan, and Binahaan in Leyte; and Catarman, Bugko, Pambujan, Catubig, Palapag, Mano, and Gamay in Northern Samar.
Other rivers include Oras, Dolores, Ulot, Taft, Borongan, Suribao, Llorente, Balangiga, and Sulat in Eastern Samar; Basey, Silaga, Calbiga, and Jibatan in Samar; Bisay, Himbangan, and Pandan in Southern Leyte; and all river systems in Biliran.
People living in low-lying areas near these river systems have been advised to stay alert for possible flash floods.
Those residing near mountain slopes have been told to watch out for signs of landslides.
As of early Tuesday, the LPA was estimated based on all available data in the vicinity of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the LPA still has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cycling but will continue to bring rains over most of the Visayas and Mindanao and parts of Bicol Region.