Record rainfall batters central parts of Philippines

Record rainfall batters central parts of Philippines

One person has died and nearly 6,000 families evacuated as the Philippines witnessed its central region hit by the heaviest rain on record.

Heavy rains have battered Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces in the Eastern Visayas region in the central Philippines since Nov. 20.

A resident of Ynaguingayan village in Northern Samar died due to a landslide caused by heavy rains. Nearly 5,843 families in Northern Samar and 195 in Eastern Samar were evacuated, officials said.

“The rainfall that caused massive flooding in Northern Samar is the highest-ever recorded in the Philippines. It is the result of the combined effects of the monsoon and the shear line,” said Dr. Cedric Daep, chief of the Public Safety and Emergency Management Office in the nearby Bicol region in Albay province.

It rained 619 millimeters, which is more than the normal rainfall of 457.8 millimeters for the entire month of November, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) station in Catarman

Daep, an expert in disaster management, visited the affected areas. He is the mastermind behind the blueprint that established a disaster management office under a local government in the Philippines, a first in Asia.

The Northern Samar government said that Daep’s statement “illuminates the gravity of this natural calamity, prompting a call for immediate attention and support for the affected localities.”

Several roads were rendered useless in Catarman, Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, and Lapinig in Northern Samar. Many places have reported power failures. 

Mayor Benjamin Ver of Jipapad in Eastern Samar said the volume of rainfall in his town was unexpected.

“It was raining hard for two days. We were shocked because for almost five hours the floodwater kept rising,” said Ver.

The mayor said the administration conducted a preemptive evacuation, even using churches to accommodate the evacuees.

“We will wait for the water to subside before we can distribute relief items to the other villages,” he added.

Ver also attributed the flooding to “climate change.”

“Maybe because we now lack trees,” said the mayor of Jipapad which serves as a “catch basin” for two surrounding and interconnected rivers.

Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan suspended classes in the province from Nov. 20 “as a precautionary measure to prioritize the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.”

Disaster management units took part in the evacuation of thousands of students at the University of Eastern Philippines and other private schools in Catarman.

“The operation was carried out amidst challenging conditions, including road closures and flooding,” the Northern Samar provincial government said.

We have provided basic necessities like medicines and sanitary facilities, said Ongchuan.

The governor urged local communities to help rebuild the lives of affected people.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development shelled out 3,445, 286 pesos (US$61,965) to provide aid to the affected areas.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to visit Northern Samar.