‘Salome’ exits PH but leaves parts of S. Tagalog flooded

MV Kitty is blamed for damaging corals in Barcelona town, Sorsogon province. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

While provinces in Southern Luzon on Friday saw improved weather on Friday, heavy rains dumped by and strong winds accompanying Tropical Storm “Salome” left several areas flooded and without electricity, reports from local governments and disaster response agencies showed.

Classes were suspended in provinces in Southern Luzon for the second day on Friday as Salome crossed these regions.

All tropical storm warning signals had been lifted by the state weather bureau on Friday. Salome was at 175 kilometers west of Olongapo City at 10 a.m. on Friday and was forecast to leave the Philippine area of responsibility today.

In Sorsogon province, strong wind accompanying Salome pushed a cargo vessel toward shallow waters in Barcelona town on Thursday.

Claudio Yucot, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director in Bicol, said a strip of coral reefs was damaged after the ship, MV Kitty, ran aground.

Barcelona officials said the Philippine Coast Guard had yet to assess the extent of damage.

“We are thankful that no oil spill happened because 11 villages will be affected,” Mayor Manuel Fortes said.

The OCD said at least 1,000 passengers had been stranded in various ports in Bicol, while 20 passenger ships were not allowed to sail in the port of Matnog town in Sorsogon.

In Camarines Norte province, at least 11 fishermen on board three fishing boats were reported missing on Thursday off the waters of Mercedes town, the OCD said.

In Camarines Sur province, another fisherman was reported missing, while two motorized banca capsized off the waters of Lagonoy town.

In Laguna province, several families evacuated due to floods on Thursday night.

Reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Calabarzon (RDRRMC) showed 25 families (103 people) in Los Baños town and four families (16 people) in Paete town sought shelter in evacuation centers. They returned home on Friday.

Floods were also reported in Barangay Isla in Pangil town, in Barangay Damayan in Famy town, and in 15 villages in Siniloan town.

A landslide hit a section of the highway linking Calauan town and San Pablo City, causing heavy traffic in the area from Thursday night to early Friday as government personnel tried to clear the road.

In Cavite province, Gov. Jesus Crispin Remulla said low-lying areas in Bacoor City were also flooded.

In Quezon province, RDRRMC reported that 468 families (1,602 people) were evacuated in the towns of Atimonan, Gumaca, General Nakar and Alabat. —REPORTS FROM MAR S. ARGUELLES, MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN, MARICAR CINCO, DELFIN T. MALLARI JR., REY ANTHONY OSTRIA AND ROMULO PONTE