1 missing, thousands displaced by floods as ‘Samuel’ crossed Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY – A 22-year old man was reported missing as thousands of individuals in Eastern Visayas were affected by Tropical Depression ‘Samuel’ on Tuesday.

The unidentified missing person was swept away after he reportedly crossed a bulging river in Barangay Paysud, Palapag town on Tuesday morning aboard a motorcycle.

Reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), headed by Rei Joshua Echano, said the towns of Pambujan, Mapanas, Palapag, Gamay, Lope de Vega, and San Isidro in Leyte province experienced flooding with water levels reaching up to two feet.

This affected more than 400 families or over 1,500 individuals, who sought refuge to safer grounds like public schools and barangay halls.

A landslide also occurred in Barangay Mirador in Mondragon town and in the villages of Nipa and Maragano, both in Palapag town.

Damage to roads, bridges, and crops had yet to be determined, Echano said.

In Eastern Samar, flooding also hit several towns.

In Oras town, about 4,488 families, mostly those located near rivers, were affected by the rising of water levels, Mayor Vivienne Alvarez said.

She, however, said that the affected families returned to their respective houses after the water subsided hours later.

Flooding was also reported in the villages of Poblacion 5,9, and 10, all in Can-avid.

In Taft, a landslide hit the villages of San Pablo and Binaloan.

Classes in several areas in Eastern Visayas, including Tacloban City, remained suspended.