LEGAZPI CITY—AT least 46 families across Bicol and a public school campus in Catandauanes have to be relocated as they are in danger from landslides, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the region warned.
The identified households and school ground are either seated or within those land areas that have started to slide since Bicol was hit by Tropical Storm “Juaning” on July 25, according to MGB Bicol supervising geologist Arlene Dayao.
“The affected families are living at landslide sites and in the vicinity of landslide areas rendering them at high risk. They are recommended for relocation,” said Dayao on Saturday.
Most or 30 of the families at risk were located in Albay: 13 in Barangay Gabon in Polangui Albay; 12 in Bacong, Ligao City; and 5 in Malabnig, Guinobatan.
In other provinces: Mabino, Donsol, Sorsogon—4; Sta. Rosa, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte—9; and one each from Tugos, Paracale, Camarines Sur, Sta. Rosa de Sur, Camarines Sur, and Cabcab, San Andres.
The campus of Codon National High School in San Andres, Catanduanes is also at risk should heavy rains, or earthquakes occur as this could trigger a massive landslide that would affect the whole school site, Dayao said.
Dayao said the number of high risk areas could go up as their teams were still conducting inspections, and they were getting more reports of landslide-prone areas from their field personnel.
Recommendations
Most of the landslides triggered by Juaning’s heavy rains occurred in steep to extremely steep cut slopes of roads, Dayao said.
“It is recommended that the agencies mandated to maintain the concerned road segments look into the appropriate slope angles suited to the type and character of geologic materials that are found on these cut slopes,” she said.
The landslide along the Ligao-Pioduran road, the access to the newly opened Roll-On-Roll-Off route to and from Manila and Visayas regions, are deep seated. “It is recommended that this road segment be re-routed. The Culliat portion of the Ligao-Pioduran road also needs re-routing as this is within a very huge old landslide that is recurrently moving,” Dayao told the Inquirer.
The MGB also recommended that residents of Puroks 3, 5 and 6 of Barangay Malabnig in in Guinobatan, Albay should be evacuated to more stable ground as the areas could still move because the ground is saturated with water from Juaning’s rains.
MGB recommended that school authorities consider relocating the Balza Elementary and High schools in Malinao, Albay to a less flood-prone area due to recurring floods.
The local disaster councils should strengthen warning and evacuation plans and procedures.