2 drown, over 72,000 families flee from floods in Samar

A portion of the 37-kilometer highway that connects Eastern Samar and Samar provinces collapses after heavy rains in the region. (PHOTO BY ROBERT DEJON/ INQUIRER VISAYAS)

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte — Two people drowned, while more than 72,000 people on Samar Island were displaced by floods spawned by torrential rains since Saturday.

Water level in some areas of Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar reached six meters high, according to reports reaching the Office of Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas (OCD-8) based in Tacloban City.

Floods displaced 6,650 families in Eastern Samar (29,166 individuals); 2,687 families (11,438 persons) in Samar and 7,333 families (32,358 individuals) in Northern Samar.

The incessant rains triggered landslides in different areas of the three Samar provinces affecting the flow of traffic as roads in these places were rendered not passable.

Among those affected was the national highway that connects Eastern Samar and Samar.

A portion of the Buray-Taft road collapsed following the incessant rains, forcing the Department of Public Works and Highways to close the road and divert traffic.

Levi Nicart, Eastern Samar Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, said that the towns of Maslog, Oras, Jipapad, Can-avid, Dolores, Taft and Sulat were among the areas badly affected by floods in Eastern Visayas.

He said they were consolidating the reports which they would use in declaring a state of calamity in Eastern Samar although Sulat and Taft towns had already issued separate declarations.

Taft Mayor Marianne Libanan said that the town council, upon her request, placed the entire town under a state of calamity on Monday after 11 of its 24 barangays were flooded, damaging the crops as well as the roads and bridges.

Engr. Manuel Catuday, Dolores’ officer at the municipal disaster risk reduction management council said that 28 out of its 46 barangays were flooded.

“Water levels rose to six meters that reached the second floor of some houses,” Catuday said.

Two persons drowned in Eastern Samar. One was Primitivo Lazarra, 60, of Dolores, and Elpedio Zacate, husband of Taft agriculture officer, Lucia Zacate.

Three fishermen – Ryan Oledan,30; Rommel Omlang, 28; and Renato Pagas, 53, all fishermen from Barangay 4, Taft – had been reported missing since Dec. 15 after they failed to return home after venturing in the sea, Nicart said.

Catuday said the floods damaged more than P50 million worth of property and crops.

“Around 80 percent to 90 percent of our crops were damaged due to the flooding,” he said.  SFM