Eastern Visayas execs told to watch out for floods, slides caused by ‘Gorio’

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image .2:32 p.m., 28 June 2013. dost.pagasa.gov.ph photo

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte—The Office of Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas (OCD-8) has called on local officials in the region to be vigilant for possible landslides and floods due to heavy rains spawned by tropical depression “Gorio.”

Ben Linde, OCD-8 information officer, said all the disaster councils in Eastern Visayas have been activated and placed on alert.

The state weather bureau has hoisted Signal No. 1 over the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar which means these places could experience winds of 45-60 kilometers per hour.

Linde said local officials in these provinces should prepare contingency plans in case there is a need to evacuate residents of flood- and landslide-prone areas.

Linde said that although the storm warnings were raised only in the Samar province, disaster mitigation councils in the neighboring provinces of  Leyte, Southern Leyte and Biliran were also told to be vigilant since it was raining in these provinces as well.

Eastern Visayas has been identified as a flood- and landslide-prone region.

Apart from the three Samar provinces, Signal No. 1 was also raised over Dinagat and Siargao islands.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Gorio was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour Friday morning, when it was  located 500 km east of Surigao City. It was moving northwest at 7 kph.

Eastern and Central Visayas and Mindanao were expected to experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms, Pagasa said.