Heavy rains cause floods in Legazpi City

LEGAZPI CITY – Heavy rains spawned by the tail end of the cold front on Friday morning caused floods in most of the villages in this city’s business district.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) said over 20 villages in Legazpi Port District, the city’s business center, were hit by ankle to waist-deep flood brought by heavy rains.

The floodwater overflowed in the major city streets mainly due to clogged drainage and silted flood control canals, the CDRRMC said.

Meanwhile, several rural villages in the northern and southern portion of the city were affected by ankle to knee-deep flood due to the swelling of the Sagumayon and Makabalo river channels here, the CDRRMC added.

Afternoon classes on Friday at all levels in private and public schools in the province were declared suspended by the Albay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara issued the advisory on the suspension of classes beginning Friday noon.

Bichara also directed all city and town disaster councils to initiate local measures and closely monitor vulnerable areas prone to flooding and landslides.

The advisory warned villagers to avoid crossing swelling river channels and to take precautions, especially those living near landslide and flood-prone areas./lzb