Eastern Visayas map. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
TACLOBAN CITY — While the low-pressure area east off Mindanao has dissipated, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Friday advised people in Eastern Visayas to be careful as the shear line may continue to bring rain over parts of the region over the weekend.
The state weather bureau said residents in the region should be ready for flooding and landslides and to evacuate immediately if necessary.
In an advisory on Friday, Pagasa said cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms might prevail over Eastern Visayas, Aklan, Capiz, Albay, Masbate, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Palawan, and Romblon due to the shear line which is the boundary between cold and warm air masses.
Some local governments in Eastern Visayas suspended classes on Friday due to heavy rains.
Among the local governments that suspended classes at all levels were Borongan City in Eastern Samar and Barugo town in Leyte.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Borongan also issued an advisory directing all fishing boats and small seacrafts not to venture into open seas due to the big waves brought by the inclement weather.
On Thursday, MV Kai Da 899, a fishing vessel from China, drifted along the waters off Suluan Island, Guiuan town in Eastern Samar, due to the bad weather.
The PCG’s BRP Cabra towed the Chinese fishing boat, which arrived in Tacloban on Friday. At least seven Chinese fishermen from a damaged vessel off Guiuan, Eastern Samar, were rescued.
The PCG has yet to provide more details about the incident.
In Tacloban, the city government has conducted declogging operations on its waterways to avoid flooding.
The region has been experiencing heavy and continuous rains since December and early this month, prompting the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar to place their respective areas under a state of calamity to allow them to use their emergency funds to help affected households.
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