Heavy rains trigger flooding, class suspension in Bicol
FLOOD AND MUD Motorists negotiate a road flooded due to continuous heavy rains on Tuesday morning in Libon town in Albay province. —LIBON MUNICIPAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT OFFICE
LEGAZPI CITY—The continuous heavy rains brought by the shear line triggered flooding in some villages in Albay on Tuesday morning and caused the suspension of in-person classes in the province and other areas in the Bicol region.
Ian James Secillano, head of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office in Albay’s Libon town, said the Talisay River started to overflow on Monday night and caused flooding in parts of Barangays Bacolod, San Vicente, Burabod, Bulusan and Zone 4.
“In these areas, the riverbank protection has yet to be completed, so during heavy rains, the overflowing water affects the fields and major thoroughfares,” Secillano said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
As of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the roads in Zone 4 and San Isidro were still not passable for motorcycles and some vehicles due to flooding.
The in-person classes at all levels in public and private schools were suspended in most towns in Albay due to the threat of flooding and landslides.
Alvin Cuz, the disaster risk reduction and management coordinator of the Department of Education Albay division, said in an interview that classes shifted to modular learning in the towns of Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Polangui, Libon, Bacacay, Sto. Domingo, Oas, Pioduran, Malilipot and Jovellar. Classes in the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Ligao were also suspended.
On Monday, Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman told local officials in an advisory to take appropriate countermeasures and execute localized suspension of classes and evacuation of the residents if needed.
The shear line was expected to bring a significant amount of rain on Tuesday in mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Bicol region, the Samar provinces, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a 10 a.m. bulletin.
Today, heavy rains were still expected in Bicol, Samar, Quezon, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon, Pagasa said.
High-risk areas
In Camarines Norte, Gov. Ricarte Padilla also suspended classes in all public and private schools in the province and directed local governments to implement localized preemptive evacuation in high-risk areas.
Gremil Alexis Naz, the Office of Civil Defense Bicol spokesperson, said in a private message that there were no evacuated families from the affected provinces as of Tuesday afternoon.
The weather improved on Tuesday morning in Albay province but light to moderate rains were experienced in the afternoon in Camarines Norte, particularly in the towns of Labo, San Vicente, San Lorenzo Ruiz, Talisay and Vinzons.
In Romblon, which belongs to the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region, a motorized boat loaded with assorted cargoes was partly destroyed by big waves in the seas off Romblon Island on Monday afternoon, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday.
In a report, the Romblon PCG station said MB Shanleen was damage on its left side after it was battered by strong waves around 5:45 p.m. in the vicinity of Guindahawan Island in Calatrava town.
