LPA brings flood, landslides in parts of Visayas

MURKY WATER Residents of Isabel town in Leyte wade through a flooded street following a heavy downpour spawned by a low pressure area on July 17. —ISABEL MUNICIPAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT OFFICE PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY—While Mindanao continues to reel from last week’s intense rains that displaced over half a million residents, heavy rains spawned by a low-pressure area (LPA) have also caused flooding and landslides in several areas in the Visayas since Wednesday.

In Leyte province, 246 families composed of 940 individuals evacuated to barangay halls due to flooding since Wednesday, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Eastern Visayas (DSWD 8).

Lawyer Jonalyndie Chua, regional information officer of DSWD 8, on Thursday said that among those flooded areas in Leyte were Baybay City and the towns of Isabel, Matag-ob and Palompon.

Also flooded were Arteche, Quinapondan and Llorente towns in Eastern Samar.

READ: LPA spotted outside PAR but it won’t affect PH, says Pagasa

“We are ready to provide food assistance to these affected families,” she said.

Chua said their office has prepositioned over 129,000 food packs, ready for distribution to areas affected by the flooding caused by the LPA.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Eastern Visayas has suspended interisland trips, including the Kawayan-Biliran-Naval routes in Biliran province, starting at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

“The suspension of sea travel is expected to be lifted once the weather improves,” the PCG said in a statement.

At 3 p.m. on Thursday, the LPA was estimated in the vicinity of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro while the southwest monsoon was affecting Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Too much rain

The combination of the LPA and the southwest monsoon would bring heavy to intense rain in these areas, the Pagasa said.

In Cebu, heavy rains also caused floods and landslides in some parts of the island, reports from the different local disaster risk reduction management offices (DRRMOs) of towns and cities in the province.

The DRRMOs said flooding was particularly heavy along the northern mainland towns of San Remigio, Tabogon, Borbon, Daanbantayan, Catmon and Medellin; on nearby Bantayan Island, located in the northern tip of Cebu; and in mainland Bogo City.

In southern Cebu province, landslides were reported in parts of Naga City and Catmon towns.

Pagasa said that the Visayas recorded high rainfall volumes in Cebu on Wednesday.

The highest was recorded in Tuburan town, which reached 124.55 millimeters (mm) or equivalent to 622,500 drums per square kilometer.

In Madridejos town on Bantayan Island, the rainfall reached 91 mm while Danao City, recorded 75.5 mm of rainfall, according to Pagasa.

Wednesday’s rainfall in Tuburan already represented half of the total rainfall expected on the island for July.

Improved weather

According to the state weather bureau, Cebu is projected to have an average rainfall of 210.6 mm for the entire month of July.

Jhomer Eclarino, weather specialist of Pagasa Visayas, said on Thursday that the weather was expected to improve in the coming days but cautioned the public to be careful since the ground has been softened by several days of rain in Cebu, making landslides still possible in parts of the province.

“It is less possible that the LPA will develop into a typhoon. But let us not be complacent,” he said.

According to Pagasa, there is a 70-percent chance that the La Niña phenomenon, which would bring downpours to the country, will start in August this year and last until March next year.