INQUIRER FILES
LEGAZPI CITY — At least 502 residents in Sorsogon City were evacuated as several areas, including the downtown, are submerged in floods triggered by rains caused by the shear line on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Louiesito Mendoza, head of the city disaster risk reduction and management office (DRRMO), told the Inquirer that 174 families had been temporarily sheltering in evacuation centers as the rising floodwaters forced them to flee their homes.
Mendoza said 22 of the 64 villages in the city had been affected by the flooding.
In a video posted by a netizen, the floodwaters in Barangay Piot, in the city’s West District, reached the roofs of houses.
The city government had distributed relief assistance for the evacuees through their respective barangays, he said.
Mendoza admitted that the rapid rise of floods in some areas in the city was driven by a drainage problem.
“Our drainage canals are getting smaller because they were altered by our road constructions, so the water cannot pass through that’s why floodwaters easily get higher,” Mendoza said in a phone interview.
He also added that the “high tide” also contributed to the flooding, adding up to the 200-millimeter accumulated rainfall.
It was not the first time that flooding happened in the city’s downtown, he stressed.
Meanwhile, a bridge in Barangay Gimaloto had been damaged due to incessant rains, he said.
In Pilar town, the MDRRMO confirmed in a separate phone interview that a minor landslide transpired at Barangay Santa Fe, which made the road impassable for larger vehicles. Only motorcycles and tricycles could access the road, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the San Jose and Mabanate roads, also in Pilar, were impassable to motorists.
The Pilar MDRRMO also reported that the Putiao river had reached the red marker level, its peak level, at 9:05 a.m.
Residents near the river channel were advised to be vigilant and take necessary measures for their safety.
According to the 11 a.m. bulletin of the state weather bureau, a yellow rainfall warning remains to be placed over Sorsogon and Catanduanes.
An orange rainfall warning was placed over Albay and Catanduanes provinces, threatening flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.