1.4 million displaced by floods, slides

MANILA, Philippines — Massive flooding and a series of landslides caused by continuous heavy rains in Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao have displaced close to 1.4 million people and killed at least 47, while damage to infrastructure and agriculture has reached P1.5 billion, disaster officials reported on Saturday.

Based on the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) bulletin, 268,079 families or 1,388,830 people in 25 provinces in Regions 4-B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11,12, Caraga, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are now adversely affected by the continuous rains that started last Dec. 29.

Among the 10 affected regions, Caraga (Northeast Mindanao) had the biggest number of displaced persons with 112,096 families or 601,804 people, followed by Region VIII with 66,437 families or 338,469 people. Region 5, the Bicol area, is third with 43,868 families or 223,548 people.

As this developed, Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Secretary Mario Montejo and Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) led a team of experts in inspecting and determining where to install the country’s first ever landslide warning device.

“We are actually inspecting areas in the province that are most susceptible to landslide, to determine where to install our landslide early warning device,” Montejo told Manila Bulletin during the DoST inspection.

He said they are prioritizing the installation of the devices nationwide to keep the country from becoming another Brazil where at least 550 persons were killed in a mudslide.

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, the NDRRMC also said the number of deaths due to the floods and landslides has increased to 47, with more fatalities reported in the Bicol region and the Visayas identified as Ricky Villar, 28, of Barangay Payo, Panganiban, Catanduanes; Armando Mallete, 51, of Barangay Amomonting,Castilla, Sorsogon (drowning); Chen Te Hao, 37, Sitio Benguet, Himagtocon, Camarines Sur (landslide); Amelyn Logronio, 9, of Purok Isla, Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental (drowning); and Jose Anonas, 37, of Barangay San Jose, EB Magalona, Negros Occidental.

Four persons remained missing, identified as Ronnie Jupson, 19, of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur; Bartolome Rabonque, 57, of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur; and fishermen Patricio Peregrino and Joseph Soledad of Panganiban, Catanduanes.

Of the total number of adversely affected population, 3,733 families or 18,099 people are still in 80 evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC report signed by its executive director, Benito Ramos, estimated damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and private properties at P1,552,005,494, broken down as follows: agriculture, P417,715,140; infrastructure, P1,083,732,418; and private properties, P20,996,300.

Troops from the 8th Infantry Division (8ID) continue helping victims of floods and landslides in region 8 by delivering relief goods amid heavy rains to families trapped in various areas in Region 8.

Helicopters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are being used in bringing trapped families to safer ground.

DoST inspection
The DoST conducted an inspection in the municipality of Saint Bernard in coordination with Mayor Rico Rentuza who has placed his locality in heightened alert due to the rains that brought in a volume of water almost double the usual.

Mario Peñaranda, officer-in-charge of PAGASA Tacloban, said that although the month of December and January are always rainy, the volume of rain that poured in the first two weeks of January registered at 511.5 in their rain gauge.

“Yung inulan ngayon for the month of January, masyadong excessive. Nung January 1, nakaregister kami ng 126.4 mm for January 1 only. Tapos yung dito nga, na monitor ko more than 200 mm per day sila. Pero aside from that, nung January 12, yun ang highest namin so far from January 1 to January 12, 176 mm ‘yon.

And the total normal value for Tacloban for the month of January is only 288 mm. So far, ang nare-record naming ulan is 511.5 so almost double na ang normal value niya for the month of January,” he said.

Yumul said that with a supersaturated soil, landslides are most expected to occur in mountainous areas in Saint Bernard. Montejo said they might complete installing their landslide early warning device by June.

By installing landslide early warning device, the DoST chief said they expect to reduce the number of casualties and save more properties whenever landslides occur.

The DoST-developed device, according to Montejo, is a tube-like device measuring a minimum length of 20 meters, with a sensor in each meter. It is installed vertically below the ground until it touches the bedrock.
source: mb.com.ph/