Over 1-M Albay villagers to be evacuated as ‘Nina’ threatens Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY – Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara said that mandatory evacuation would be carried out on Sunday in all villages prone to flooding, landslide, mud/lahar flow, and storm surges as pre-emptive measure against Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-ten).

Disaster authorities would be moving out 207,774 families or over a million people living in flood, landslide, lahar flow and storm surge prone areas in three cities and 15 towns in Albay.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) data indicate that there are 1,616 villages threatened by flooding, landslide, lahar flow and storm surge should “Nina” hit the province by Sunday.

PDRRMC data also shows that there are about 59,790 families living in low-lying villages at risk of flooding, 21,294 families in landslide areas, 34,631 families in lahar prone areas and 29,087 families in
coastal areas at risk of storm surges.

Bichara said some local MDRRMO have begun moving villagers to safer grounds as a preventive measure against the typhoon’s moderate to heavy rains and strong winds. He also directed the Department of Education (DepEd) to open safe school campuses for evacuation use.

Albay province was placed under “state of imminent disaster” to facilitate the use of the disaster calamity fund by local disaster councils on Friday. JE