"Pepeng" Forces 200,000 in Bikol Evac-Centers

LEGAZPI CITY (3 October)- DESPITE BEING SPARED FROM THE DIRECT ROUTE of tropical storm "Pepeng" which was packing some 195km. per/hour winds, the affected provinces of Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte had an estimated 200,000 evacuees crowd their evacuation centers due to the typhoon's heavy rains, the office of the Civil Defense base in Camp Ola here reported on Friday (October 2).

 

The Albay PDCC reported that Albay Gov. Joey Salceda has ordered a preemptive evacuation on the coastal towns of Albay, and localities near Mt. Mayon's danger zone since Thurs. (Oct. 1).

 

The PDCC said that on Friday evacuees have swelled to 115,000 individuals in Albay, particularly in Daraga and Legazpi City, prompting Gov. Salceda to order relief workers to provide some 15,465 food packages for evacuees in this province.

 

However, PDCC officials in Albay denied reports of heavy lahar flow from the shoulders of Mt. Mayon during heavy rains last Friday; nonetheless, localities near the volcano were earlier evacuated to safeguard residents from possible volcanic erosions.

 

In Catanduanes province, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Friday that landslides have blocked the national highway leading to the capital town of Virac, while similar landslides in the localities of Pandan and San Andres, Catanduanes also occurred.

 

Hundreds of evacuees were also reported in the towns of Bagamanok, San Andres and Francia as a result of flash floods in the area.

 

Meanwhile, the PDCC of Camarines Sur based at the Pili Provincial Capitol reported on Friday evening that evacuees have swelled to 34,000 persons in 118 evacuation centers, and that 141 villages were affected by floods in the province.

 

More than a meter of floods were reported in Bulauan, Sipocot town forcing residents to climb roof-tops of their homes; flash-floods were also reported in Ragay, Cabusao and the critical coastal village of Barceloneta.

 

In the Rinconada district, Buhi Mayor Lacoste had ordered the forced evacuation of residents along the banks of Lake Buhi due to the heavy rains which resulted to an overflow of the lake; reported landslides near the lake villages of Sta Cruz, Sta Clara and Sta Fe similarly prompted evacuation.

 

Philippine Army personnel also evacuated residents along the national highway in barangays San Roque and San Francisco in Baao town as water level reached waist-deep, flooding the entire stretch of the Maharlika Highway up to Iriga City and adjacent Nabua town on Friday evening.

 

In Naga City, Mayor Jesse Robredo also called on residents in the low lying areas of barangay Calauag to move to high ground; evacuees eventually reached more than 300 residents.

 

Flash floods were also reported in the City's main thoroughfares of Panganiban Drive and Magsaysay Ave., after a reported overflow of the Naga River on Friday evening; the overflow led to the flooding of barangays Lerma, Abella, Mabulo, Sabang and Triangulo which are near the river banks.

 

In the meantime, one fatality was reported in barangay Pacol, Naga City, when a certain SPO1 Edgardo Moreno, an Iriga City policeman, died of electrocution while fixing the roof of his home during heavy rains on Friday morning.

 

Meanwhile, CASURECO I electric-coop spokesman, Jun Romano, reported that a power fuse at the sub-station in Pamplona town got burned, resulting to a power outage in seven towns in the first district of Camarines Sur since 4:30 A.M. on Friday.

 

Meanwhile, the OCD also alerted passenger bus firms that stranded passengers in major Bikol ports in Albay and Sorsogon have now reached 2,287; those stranded in the Port of Matnog, Sorsogon numbered 1,631 persons bound for Catanduanes province.