Several Vis-Min areas flooded on Christmas due to shear line, Amihan

Several areas in Visayas and Mindanao were flooded on Sunday, Christmas Day, due to the shear line and the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) that affected parts of the country.

In Llorente, Eastern Samar, eight families had to spend Christmas Eve in evacuation centers because their houses were flooded, according to Shirley Valdez of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).

“May mga nagpalipas na pamilya dito sa evacuation centers, pero ‘yung iba naman po tulad ng Barangay Naubay, is sa ibang bahay sila nag-Christmas,” she said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(There were families who spent Christmas Eve here in the evacuation centers, but others like those in Barangay Naubay, they spent Christmas in other houses.)

Valdez said that their MDRRMO head ensured that all affected residents would be evacuated from their homes before the flood rose.

She said that no one from their area was hurt or missing due to the flooding incidents.

“Dito sa amin kahapon, sa isang barangay sa 'min, sa Barangay Naubay, hanggang leeg ang baha sa eskwelahan at simbahan nila, at saka ‘yung national highway, ay hindi madaanan nang ilang oras,” she recalled.

(Yesterday, schools and churches in Barangay Naubay had neck-deep floods. Their national highway was also impassable for several hours.)

“Ang isang barangay namin sa Barangay Antipolo, ‘yung daanan is hindi namin mapuntahan lalo na 'yung mga tatlong barangay na isolated talaga sila…dahil hindi madaanan ang tulay,” she added.

(In Barangay Antipolo, we couldn’t pass the roads, especially those going to three barangays which were really isolated...because the bridge was impassable.)

The floods in some areas in Llorente have already subsided as of 7 a.m., and the national highway is already passable, Valdez said.

Meanwhile, 470 passengers welcomed Christmas while stranded in Romblon Port because of the coastal water conditions.

According to Batangas Port manager Joselito Cruz, the seacraft came from Quezon Province and was supposed to travel to Sibuyan Island. It had to return back to Romblon Port due to the strong waves.

Several areas in Lamitan City, Basilan, on the other hand, were also flooded on Christmas due to heavy and continuous rain.

The flooding started past 2 a.m. and has not yet subsided as of posting time.

According to Lamitan CDRMMO, 934 families from barangays Malinis, Matibay, and Limo-ok were evacuated.

The local government units, along with the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and other volunteers, were also rescuing residents who were trapped in their houses.

Based on PAGASA’s weather forecast, the shear line affecting Visayas and the Northeast Monsoon affecting Luzon will cause rain showers over several areas on Sunday. —with a report from Peewee Bacuño/KG, GMA Integrated News