‘Urduja’ displaces more than 400 families - NDCC

More than 400 families were affected by the series of landslides and flash floods that struck Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao due to heavy rains caused by tropical storm “Urduja" since Tuesday, even as the cyclone weakened into a low-pressure area. In its situation report, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said at least 239 families or about 1,054 people were affected in the provinces of Camiguin and Misamis Oriental since November 24. Meanwhile, the landslides that hit Liloan, Southern Leyte have also displaced 52 families, according to a GMA News Flash Report. In northeastern Mindanao’s Caraga region, 10 people were injured after a minor landslide caused their van to fell off a cliff in Surigao City.
The NDCC also said that 148 families in 13 villages have been evacuated as the Puyo and Celopan rivers overflowed due to the continuous rains in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, although no casualties have been reported so far. Meanwhile, all 11 passengers of a motorbanca (outrigger pump boat), MBCA Lady Coco, including four Germans and one Swiss, have been rescued after their boat sunk in the waters off Limasawa, Southern Leyte on Tuesday. In its latest update, state weather forecasters warned that flash floods and landslides still loom over Mindanao even after Urduja weakened into a low-pressure area. As of 2 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Urduja was spotted 350 kilometers east of Surigao. "Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Mindanao, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," Pagasa said. Pagasa also said the northeast monsoon is affecting Northern and Eastern Luzon, while the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated light rains. Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and coming from the northeast to northwest over the rest of the country, while coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough, the weather bureau said. Earlier, Pagasa said it is monitoring the possible entry of a new tropical storm, internationally code-named "Nida." The cyclone may be named "Vinta" once it enters Philippine territory. – Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV