46,000 Evacuated as Severe Weather Hits Bicol

Bicol: The Office of Civil Defense in Bicol (OCD-5) reported that over 46,000 individuals from several towns and cities in the Bicol Region have evacuated due to heavy rainfall caused by the shear line.

According to Philippines News Agency, the threat of flooding and rain-induced landslides prompted the evacuation, as stated by OCD-5 spokesperson Gremil Alexis Naz in an interview on Tuesday. The provincial disaster risk reduction management offices across the six provinces are coordinating to provide a verified and updated report of the affected individuals.

Naz noted that a total of 9,896 families, comprising 46,709 individuals from four provinces, have been displaced. Of these, 7,858 families, or 38,362 persons, are occupying 77 evacuation centers, while 2,038 families, or 8,777 persons, are staying with relatives. "The families who evacuated are from 254 barangays," he said, emphasizing the scope of the impact.

Flooding has been reported in 32 local government units, affecting infrastructure. "We are monitoring 58 local roads and bridges affected by the continuous rain. As a result, 35 roads are not passable to all vehicles, 13 are not passable to light vehicles, five are one-lane passable, and five are passable to light vehicles," Naz detailed the transportation disruptions caused by the weather.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has forecasted that rains due to the northeast monsoon (amihan) will continue in the Bicol Region. The shear line is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon.