NDRRMC: Damage from floods, landslides P11M+

Aside from causing at least nine deaths, the floods and landslides that hit parts of Visayas and Mindanao in past days have caused at least P11.5 million in damage to property, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Saturday. In its Saturday update, the NDRRMC said the floods and landslides also affected 29,682 families or 148,548 people in 463 villages. The NDRRMC cited initial estimates indicating the damage to property in Leyte alone included P4 million in infrastructure and P7.5 million in agriculture. It said this figure does not include some P31,500 in damage to livestock in Misamis Oriental in Mindanao and 10 hectares of rice fields in Bohol in Central Visayas. At least 79 houses were destroyed while 39 were damaged. Of the residents affected, 4,054 families or 20,272 people were evacuated to safe grounds. It listed the affected provinces as Bohol in Central Visayas; Western, Northern and Eastern Samar, Biliran, and Leyte and Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas; Misamis Oriental in Region 10; and South Cotabato in Region 12 in Mindanao. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said its Eastern Visayas unit served 10,799 families in 15 evacuation centers. Meanwhile, the Office of the Mayor in Tacloban City recommended to the city council that the city be placed under a state of calamity. The Tacloban city disaster management council also warned residents near mountain slopes to take precautions against landslides. Wish PAGASA was wrong Eight months after an erroneous weather forecast earned its ire, Malacañang on Saturday said it would not mind a wrong forecast from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) this time, given the weather pattern in Eastern Visayas. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said this after PAGASA said flash floods and landslides continue to threaten parts of Eastern Visayas and Mindanao – after causing at least nine deaths and forcing the evacuation of more than 15,000. “This I suppose is one of the instances we hope PAGASA can be wrong. But weather advisories have mostly been accurate," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Last July, President Benigno Aquino III gave PAGASA officials, led by then head Prisco Nilo, a tongue-lashing for an inaccurate weather forecast on the path of cyclone "Basyang," which hit Metro Manila. Nilo lost his post over the incident. For now, Valte said the Palace expects the NDRRMC to coordinate with disaster management officials at the local levels. Flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in past days had forced authorities to place a village in Bohol and Leyte province under a state of calamity. Valte said the Palace expects quick response teams of the NDRRMC and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to be in place to respond to residents’ needs. Floods, landslides threat PAGASA on Saturday said flash floods and landslides still threaten Bicol and parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the northeast monsoon is prevailing over Northern and Central Luzon while a wind convergence is affecting Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. "Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Bicol region, Eastern Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao which may trigger flash floods and landslides. The rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated light rains," it said. Archbishop’s house as shelter Following days of flooding in Eastern Visayas, the archbishop’s residence in Palo town in Leyte was converted into a temporary shelter for some 700 residents affected by the calamity. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said residents flocked to the archbishop’s house Friday in search of food, medicine and shelter. “Our chapel which has a capacity of 160 persons is full of children and elderly and same with the conference hall and the dormitories is full of evacuees," archdiocese priest Fr. Erwin Balagapo said in an article posted Saturday on the CBCP news site. He said the evacuees are temporarily housed at the chapel, conference hall and dormitories. The CBCP noted the archdiocese currently has no bishop and the relief effort is led by its administrator Msgr. Jimmy Villanueva. Continuous heavy rains in the past several days had flooded several parts of Leyte and Samar provinces in Eastern Visayas. In Tacloban City, a family of seven was killed in a landslide that buried their house. But as of Friday, Balagapo said the weather appeared to be improving and the flood waters receding. “But the evacuees will remain here (archbishop’s residence) until it is already safe for them to go back home," he said. “Many government officials are helping us here by providing food because we can’t do it alone. But we need more doctors because many children are sick," he added. He said donations may be coursed through the Social Action Center of the Palo archdiocese or Caritas Manila. — LBG, GMA News