Flooding, landslides force thousands of families out of homes in Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY — Thousands of families fled their homes in the Visayas after heavy rains spawned by Typhoon Urduja triggered floods and landslides and affected power and communication lines.

Rescuers were searching for Juanita Montellana Cabillo who was believed to have been buried alive when mounds of soil covered her house in Barangay Tongonan, Ormoc City, Leyte early Saturday.

When the rain started to get heavy at about 5 a.m., her husband Nelson went out to the house to make canals to prevent water from getting into their house.

He noticed, however, that pile of earth was heading his way. He immediately rushed back to his house located at the slope of the hill only to be hit by a landslide.

Nelson, who was covered by soil from the neck down, was rescued by his brother-in-law, Orland and his two sons, Richard and Ruben who lived nearby.

His wife, who was sleeping inside the house, has not been found.

Urduja spawned heavy rains when it made a landfall in Samar on Saturday afternoon, triggering floods and landslides in Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Biliran.

In Leyte, more than 2,000 families in Tacloban City and 300 families in Ormo City were sent to evacuation centers due to the waist-high floods caused by Tropical Storm Urduja.

Lutgarda Barredo, chief of the Tacloban Rescue Team Unit, said that among those evacuated were some residents of San Jose district, which was the worst hit area when Supertyphoon Yolanda devastated the city four years ago.

According to Barredo,about 60 percent pf the city’s 138 villages were hit by floods spawned by Urduja.

Arvin Monge, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) officer, said floods also affected the towns of Kananga, Isabel, Dulag, Burauen and San Miguel which implemented forced evacuation of affected residents.

He could not say as to how many families were affected due to the floods.

Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla has lready placed the entire province under state of calamity.

In Northern Samar, 2,024 families. most of whom were living in coastal villages, were evacuated because of flooding, said Gen.Mario Lacurom, commanding officer of the 803rd Infantry Brigade based in Catarman.

Lacurom, whose men helped in the evacuation of these families, said a landslide hit in Barangay Poblacion 3 in Silvino Lubos town, making it difficult for rescue teams to help affected families.

In Samar, more than 5,000 families from 18 towns of the province were evacuated to safer ground,said Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officer Van Torrevillas.

A major landslide also hit along a national higbway located in Barangay Laygayon,Pinabacdao town and at Barangay Tarabukan, Calbayog City.

Urduja’s strong winds and rains affected communication lines in Eastern Visayas as well as power supply.

According to Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, Urduja affected 9,208 families from 255 barangays of the province due to floods.

At least P18 million worth of infrastructure and P13.8 million in agriculture were affected by the typhoon, said Evardone.

In Cebu, at least 1,000 families from 15 coastal villages in Daanbantayan town were asked to vacate their respective homes due to possible storm surge.

Lani Dublin, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Daanbantayan, said they wanted to ensure the safety of their people especially that big waves continue to batter the coastal areas.

A road in Barangay Tinubdan, Daanbantayan town also sustained cracks after the soil beneath it softened due to continuous rains brought by Tropical Storm Urduja.

As of 3 p.m. on Saturday, there were no reported injuries or casualties. /atm

A family, forced to leave their homes due to heavy rains, shares a meal of rice and fish in a gymnasium in Sogod in Cebu. (Photo by JUNJIE MENDOZA / Cebu Daily News)