Visayas, parts of Mindanao told to brace for floods, slides ‘til Thursday

MANILA, Philippines—The weather bureau has warned local government units (LGUs) in the Visayas and northeast and central Mindanao to brace for floods and landslides until Thursday due to abnormally heavy rainfall in these areas.

Graciano Yumul Jr., officer in charge of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said they had alerted the LGUs in concerned provinces against flash floods and landslides because of the heavy rains produced by the tail end of the cold front.

“The rain band stretches from Southern Leyte to Misamis Oriental. The tailend of the cold front is expected to move up to Bicol on Thursday,” he said.

Based on the agency's hydrometeorology department advisory issued on Monday morning, the Bicol and central and western Visayas regions will experience light to moderate rains in the next 24 hours.

On the other hand, moderate to occasionally heavy rains will be dumped in Caraga and eastern Visayas, the report said.

The weather bureau said it has zeroed in on the Caraga region, which has been experiencing the heaviest downpour compared with Bicol and the Visayas. Caraga is composed of Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Dinagat Island.

“We are guarding the whole Caraga region and we are extending it to Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon,” Yumul said. He added that the Agusan River, a major tributary in the area, has become “extremely swollen” and has “overflowed” in some places.

According to Pagasa's advisory, the rivers and streams that will be affected by the rains in the Caraga regions are Cantillan, Tandag, Tago, Hinatuan, Actul, Caraga, Bislig, Gaas Lulet, and Surigao River.

In the Agusan provinces, Pagasa said it has been keeping watch over the Agusan River and its tributaries like Ojot, Wawa, Andanan, Libang, Maosam, Gibong. Adgaoan and Simulao.

Residents near these areas and on mountain slopes have been ordered to evacuate to secure places, Yumul said.

The government of Surigao del Sur has put some towns on Alert 1, which means that the residents have been notified to prepare for evacuation. In Agusan del Sur, some villages near the river have been evacuated.

While these regions usually got rains during this time of the year, the present rain band that hovers above it contains much more water than usual, Yumul said. “I will not be surprised if the rainfall is twice than normal,” he noted.

Yumul said the abnormal rainfall could have been aggravated by the La Niña phenomenon, which the Philippines will experience until May. Pagasa has warned that the peak of the La Niña episode in the country will be felt during the months of January and February.

The La Niña phenomenon refers to the abnormal cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. In the Philippines, the La Niña season is characterized by heavier rains than usual.

The Philippines, he said, has not been the only country experiencing heavy rains. The current atmosphere contains much more water than usual, Yumul said, pointing out the heavy snows in the northern hemisphere and the rains that caused floods in Australia. (report by Kristine Alave, Philippine Daily Inquirer)