2 reported dead in Eastern Visayas amid bad weather —OCD

Two people were reported dead due to landslides amid the rains brought by the shear line in Eastern Visayas, the Office of Civil Defense Region 8 (OCD 8) said on Wednesday.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, OCD 8 director Lord Byron Torrecarion said reports on supposed fatalities are still being validated.

“Unfortunately, mayroon po tayong subject for verification kasi hindi pa po dumating sa amin iyong report. Pero mayroon pong initial subject for confirmation by LGU (local government unit) pa but I think there are two. Ito po ay sa landslide. We're waiting for the identification properly bago namin ma-release ang report,” he said.

(Unfortunately, we have fatalities that are subject for validation because we have not received the report yet. But we have initial reports still subject for confirmation by LGU but I think there are two. These are due to landslides. We're waiting for the proper identification before we release the report.)

At least 11 landslides were reported in the region amid the inclement weather, according to Torrecarion.

These include four in Catarman and Lope de Vega in Northern Samar; two in Liloan and Bontoc in Southern Leyte; two in Catbalogan City and Tagapul-an in Samar; two in Jipapad and Oras in Eastern Samar; and one in Babatngon, Leyte,.

Torrecarion said the soil in the area became saturated due to the rains.

Floods were also reported in 29 barangays in Northern Samar, another 29 in Samar, and 23 in Eastern Samar, according to Torrecarion.

Over 54,000 individuals or 24,000 families in Northern Samar were evacuated due to massive flooding, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) on Tuesday.

Northern Samar PDRRMO Chief Rei Joshia Echano said on Super Radyo dzBB that a shear line brought more than a month's worth of rain to the province.

“Nasa sentro kami ng impact ng shear line sa buong bansa. 'Yung ibinuhos na ulan sa amin sa loob lamang ng isang araw ay mas higit pa sa isang buwan na ulan sa average ng November. Umabot ito sa 618 mm and counting pa,” said Echano.

(We are at the center of the shear line’s impact on the entire country. The amount of rainfall in just a day is higher than the one-month average for November. It reached 618 mm and still rising.)

He said some residents were stranded, particularly in Catarman, Northern Samar, where over 95% of barangays were flooded. —KBK, GMA Integrated News