President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered all government agencies to quickly provide relief and assistance to flood victims in Northern and Eastern Samar as he met with officials to supervise the government’s preparations.
“We are doing everything that we can. But let’s work with those whoare in the evacuation centers – even those who are still at home.… we have to go and make sure that they get the food packs, they get sufficient water supply,” the President said.
The President was initially set to land in Catarman, the provincial capital of Northern Samar, but bad weather prevented him from going there. He went to Tacloban City instead where he held a situational briefing with Samar officials via Zoom.
The President’s visit to Samar is part of a nationwide tour to assess the damage caused by the floods and last week’s powerful earthquake in Mindanao.
From General Santos City, the President assured people in Mindanao that they would receive all the necessary assistance from the government following the magnitude 6.8 quake that hit the region on Friday.
In an interview, President Marcos said the government has prepared allnecessary assistance and relief operations for earthquake victims, except for rebuilding their houses due to ongoing aftershocks.
“We can’t even begin to rebuild because there are still aftershocks.
The problem with the earthquake, there is no forecast – we don’t know what will happen,” he said in Filipino.
The President emphasized that the government will not abandon the earthquake victims.
‘Clear the roads’
President Marcos said the Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH) should ensure that all roads are passable to allow faster distribution of food packs and relief goods to flood victims.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said they have already prepared over 100,000 food packs for distribution to the affected families in Eastern and Northern Samar.
Gatchalian added they are also finalizing the list of the affectedfamilies whose houses were either totally or partially damaged. This will be the basis of the financial assistance they will receive from the government to start rebuilding their houses.
Before concluding the meeting, President Marcos said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will provide the necessary assistance to the affected families and will distribute seedlings and other agricultural products.
The President also assured local officials that the nationalgovernment is ready to provide additional assistance to the affected families.
State of calamity
The provincial government of Eastern Samar declared a state of calamity on Wednesday due to massive flooding brought about by heavy rains.
Provincial board members approved the resolution days after Northern Samar passed a similar declaration.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said 12,817 families or 50,053 people were affected by the flooding brought about by the shear line – an area where warm and cold air meet– and a low-pressure area.
About 1,648 families or 5,776 people are now staying in evacuation centers, churches, and municipal halls.
Most of the affected families are from the towns of Jipapad, Arteche, Oras, Dolores, Can-avid, Maydolong, and Maslog.
The PDRRMO estimated initial damage to agriculture and crops in thetowns of Dolores and Maydolong at ₱4.3 million, mostly to rice fields, vegetable farms, and root crops.
Several national roads in the province were also rendered impassable by flooding and landslides.
With the weather improving on Wednesday, local government units were able to expand the distribution of relief assistance from the DSWD to severely affected communities. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 80,3538 people have been displaced due to the combined effects of shear line and low-pressure area.
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said the displaced population was reported in Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas.
Of the total displaced persons, 40,454 were staying in 170 evacuation centers while 39,904 were taking shelter in other places.
The Office of Civil Defense Region 8 (OCD 8) said on Wednesday two people were reported dead due to landslides amid the rains brought by the shear line. It said these reports are still being validated.
A total of 103 houses were damaged due to the bad weather—87 partially and 16 totally.
Thirty-nine roads and three bridges remain not passable amid reports of 182 flooding incidents and 21 landslides in the affected areas, the NDRRMC said.
Power interruptions are still being experienced in 10 areas, communication issues in four areas, and water supply problems in one area.
One seaport remains non-operational.
The Northern Samar PDRRMO said that the shear line brought more than a month’s worth of rain to the province on Nov. 20.
A total of 169 classes and 12 work schedules have been suspended due to the bad weather.
At least two people were killed and tens of thousands were forced to flee their homes after heavy downpours triggered flooding across the central Philippines, authorities said Wednesday.
Rescuers used inflatable boats and ropes to reach people stranded in their houses in Northern Samar, one of the hardest hit provinces, where villages and towns have been inundated after a week of rain.
The provincial capital Catarman received more than a month’s rainfall in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning, with muddy water turning streets into rivers and flooding shopping malls, houses and commercial buildings.
“The monthly rainfall in Catarman is around 450 millimeters but yesterday alone was 619 (mm),” said state weather forecaster Benison Estareja.
More than 43,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, the national disaster agency said, while they wait for floodwaters to subside.
“The rivers are still overflowing… because the waters from the mountains flow down there,” Balanquit said.
“The floods reached the top of two-story houses.”
In other developments:
* The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it has sent a 40-man contingent to Northern and Eastern Samar in the Visayas. MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the team, with personnel from the Public Safety Division and Road Emergency Group, will be divided into two groups to conduct humanitarian and relief operations. Each group will bring with them 30 units of solar-powered water purification systems, which can filter 180 gallons of water per hour.
* The weather bureau said the shear line and the northeast monsoon would bring rain over Luzon. The shear line will also bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Palawan, Quezon and Bicol, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. Possible flash floods or landslides are expected in these areas due to moderate to at times heavy rains, it added. — With AFP and Rio N. Araja