TACLOBAN CITY—At least one person was killed in a massive flood that hit Northern Samar towns on Nov. 21, authorities said Wednesday.
The fatality was identified as one alias Cabides, a resident of Brgy. Ynaguingayan, Pambujan, Northern Samar.
Army troopers who conducted rescue operations said a fallen tree caused by a landslide hit the victim.
The provincial government has placed Northern Samar under a state of calamity upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).
Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in a hybrid special session Tuesday afternoon passed and approved the recommendation of the PDRRMC after 18 towns were reportedly inundated.
The resolution states that “70 percent of the province population, equivalent to 74,500 families or 370,000 individuals, from 24 towns of the province was affected by the calamity.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Wednesday reported that a total of 81,050 families have so far been affected by bad weather due to the presence of the shear line and a low-pressure area.
In its latest disaster bulletin, the agency said the affected individuals are from 503 barangays in five regions — Region IV-A (Calabarzon), Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga.
At least 3,670 families or around 5,831 individuals are inside 104 evacuation centers.
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 monsoon rain and shear line, which brought rainfall even higher than the average for the month of November in the previous years, said Dr. Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office in the nearby Bicol region.
“In fact, the amount of rainfall that occurred in just one day in Northern Samar was equivalent to the total rainfall for a span of six weeks,” added Daep, an expert in disaster management.
The Northern Samar provincial 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.”
The disaster units in Northern Samar towns also collaborated for the evacuation of thousands of students studying 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.
Jipapad Mayor Benjamin Ver said the volume of rain in his town was unexpected.
“It was raining hard for two days. We were shocked because for almost five hours the floodwater suddenly went up fast,” said Ver.
However, the mayor said they conducted preemptive evacuation, even using the church to accommodate other evacuees.
“We will wait for the water to subside before we can distribute the relief items to the other villages. But to those here in the town proper, we have prepositioned food packs and have distributed them already,” he added.