Above-average rainfall recorded in flood-hit Vis-Minda areas

The amount of rainfall recorded in six flood-hit towns and cities in the Visayas and Mindanao over the past seven days alone has already exceeded the average monthly rainfall in these areas, the state weather bureau said Saturday. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that higher-than-average rainfall rates were recorded in six of its stations in eastern Visayas and Mindanao from January 1 to 8. The highest amount of rainfall was recorded in Surigao City in Surigao del Norte, which reached 754.8 millimeters — more than a hundred millimeters higher than the average monthly rainfall of 603.3 mm in the area. Surigao del Norte belongs to the Caraga region in southern Philippines, which has been the hardest hit by the floods and landslides brought by heavy rains over southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. According to the latest update by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 186,856 families have already been affected by the heavy rains across the country — 101,335 families of which come from the Caraga region. A total of 33 deaths have also been recorded due to the heavy rains, mostly because of landslides and drowning in floodwaters. (See: Floods death toll at 33; 880K people affected — NDRRMC) The NDRRMC has also pegged the amount of damage to agriculture, infrastructure and private property caused by the week-long rains to over P441 million. According to PAGASA, the northeast monsoon and the tail end of a cold front have been bringing the heavy rains to these areas since last week. High rainfall in eastern Visayas High amounts of rainfall have also been recorded by PAGASA in its five stations in the eastern Visayas region since the start of the year. In Catarman City in northern Samar, 517 mm of rain have been collected by PAGASA over the past week, higher than the monthly average of 444.2 mm. The same above-average amount of rainfall can also be observed in Guiuan town in Eastern Samar, with 374.9 mm of rainfall for the past week exceeding the normal 328.6 mm; and in Catbalogan City in Samar province, with 556.1 mm of rainfall surpassing the normal 231.5 mm. In Tacloban City in Leyte province, meanwhile, the week-long rainfall of 343.2 mm also exceeded the normal monthly rainfall of 288.5 mm. The PAGASA station in Maasin City in southern Leyte yielded the same amount of rainfall (343.2 mm), higher than the normal 205.1 mm average monthly rainfall in the area. Eight people have been reported hurt in southern Leyte due to landslides triggered by heavy rains.—With Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, infographic by Wayne Manuel, GMANews.TV