Severe floods hit Albay; province under state of calamity

The detour road in Brgy. Nagas, Tiwi, and Albay collapsed on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, due to heavy rains and intense flooding. —Photo courtesy of the Municipality of Tiwi.

MANILA, Philippines — Several areas in Albay have been severely affected by intense flooding as tropical storm Kristine (international name: Trami) continues to bring strong winds and heavy rains to the province and other regions of the country.

In its 11 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Kristine is packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (km/h) near its center and gusts of up to 90 km/h.

It was last spotted 345 km east northeast of Daet, Camarines Norte as it continues to move northwestward at 10 km/h, according to Pagasa.

READ: Bicol sounds alarm over rescue ops amid flooding brought by Kristine

Various areas in Albay are also placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals No. 1 and 2, based on the state weather bureau’s latest update.

Due to the effects of the tropical storm, the entire province of Albay was placed under a state of calamity on Tuesday.

“This follows the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council – Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (PDRRMC-APSEMO) due to the anticipated impact of Kristine and the potential damage it may cause to various sectors in the province,” Albay Provincial Information Office (PIO) said in a statement.

Many residents have taken to social media to share the current flooding situation in the province.

In a Facebook video by Don Declaro Sacueza Jr., floodwaters can be seen nearly reaching the roofs of houses in Brgy. Bonbon, Libon, Albay on Tuesday afternoon.

“This is in Bonbon, Libon, Albay. It looks like an ocean here. The water from the floods has reached the roof,” Sacueza said in the video.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Tiwi reported on Tuesday that the detour road in Brgy. Nagas has collapsed due to heavy flooding and is currently impassable for all types of vehicles.

The said detour road connects the municipalities of Tiwi and Malinao in Albay.

As of posting, rescue operations are actively underway in several locations throughout Albay.