Thursday, February 15, 2018

Basyang’ leaves 4 dead in east Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 14  -- Three fishermen from Eastern Samar were swept by big waves while a two-month old baby was buried alive in Leyte when Tropical Depression “Basyang” crossed the Visayas this week.
The Philippine National Police reported Wednesday afternoon that local authorities recovered the bodies of fishermen Reggie Samson, Wilson and Wilfred Alde in Cabo-ong village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
Their bodies were found at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, a day after witnesses saw them swept by big waves while sailing on a wooden raft off the coast of Siha village in Borongan.
In Albuera, Leyte, a landslide buried a house in San Pedro village that killed two-month old Christian Jake Tumandao on Tuesday afternoon.
His mother, Jenessa and siblings Rex, 3 and Kim, 7 managed to escape when they sensed that mudslides would cover their house.
“The victim was rescued by their neighbors and was rushed to the rural health center, but was declared dead upon arrival by doctors,” the police said.
San Pedro village in Albuera town is just one of the 1,075 villages in Eastern Visayas tagged as highly susceptible to landslides.
These are defined as unstable areas, highly prone to mass movement, based on data released by the Department of Interior and Local Government Center for Disaster Information and Coordination from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
On Monday afternoon, the Regional Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council issued a red or heavy rainfall warning for Eastern Visayas provinces. Authorities warn local government units and residents against massive flooding and landslides.
The local governments of Tacloban and nearby town of Palo in Leyte suspended classes and work in the government on Wednesday due to widespread flooding that displaced thousands of residents.
Regional offices of national government agencies are located in these two areas.
On Wednesday, netizens posted photos of flooding at their doorsteps greeting their friends “Happy Bahalentines.” It is a combination of the words baha (flood) and Valentines. (SQM/RTA/PNA)


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