200 residents flee as river overflows with lahar in Sorsogon

SORSOGON CITY, Philippines—Around 50 families or 200 persons were evacuated on Monday evening after mud and lahar from the slopes of Mt. Bulusan caused the Rangas River in Irosin town in Sorsogon to overflow, municipal disaster officials said.

At least three houses were damaged as families in Barangay (village) Patag fled their homes after the six to seven-meter high dike was breached by lahar.

Jose Lopez, disaster official in Sorsogon, said those evacuated were temporarily housed in the village chapel in Patag.

He said on Tuesday morning that villagers in Barangay Monbon, also in Irosin, were advised to evacuate after lahar filled a creek and threatened to reach households near the creek.

“Mapaso creek is filled with lahar and unless immediate dredging is undertaken the situation will worsen,” said Andy Manlangit, a resident of Monbon Bliss.

In Cogon village, a resident, Roniel Frayna, said big rocks have been rolling down the Cogon gulley since Monday night.

“It was accompanied with loud rumbling sounds,” he added.

The rocks worsened the siltation that caused rivers to overflow with mud and lahar from Bulusan, he said.

Lopez said heavy rainfall since Sunday triggered the lahar flow.

An emergency meeting was called by Irosin Mayor Eduardo Ong Tuesday morning while a team from the engineering department went out to assess damage, said Jerelle Marquez, municipal information officer.

The authorities renewed calls for residents near rivers and streams to be on constant alert for lahar flows should there be another downpour.

“Tons of volcanic debris are still on the volcano’s slopes that may (rush) down the gulley and water channels,” said Ed Laguerta, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.