68,000 Pinoys displaced by shear line, Kabayan

MANILA, Philippines — Some 68,461 Filipinos from 20,685 families are still staying in 401 different evacuation centers due to the effects of two weather conditions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

With heavy rains and flooding expected to continue for the next three days, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday gave assurance that displaced and affected families are being provided necessary assistance.

At least one person was reported injured while another has been reported missing due to the shear line and tropical cyclone Kabayan over the past days.

The NDRRMC, in a report yesterday, said search and rescue operations are being conducted to locate the missing individual in the Davao region.

Latest data show that the shear line and Kabayan, which has now weakened into a low-pressure area, affected a total of 27,113 families or 90,096 persons in six different regions.

Those displaced and are staying in evacuation centers are residents of various areas in the Mimaropa region, Western and Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, the Davao region and Caraga.

The NDRRMC said a total of 1,723 passengers and at least 10 rolling cargoes in Western and Eastern Visayas and the Caraga region have been stranded due to bad weather conditions.

Reports show that a total of 54 houses in Mimaropa, Region 10, Region 11 and Caraga were either partially or totally damaged due to rain and flood-related reasons.

Kabayan made landfall over Manay, Davao Oriental on Monday before weakening into a tropical depression and further into a low-pressure area the same day.

However, the NDRRMC said the weather disturbance combined with the shear line “are forecast to bring a significant amount of rains in the next three days.”

Meanwhile, the trough of a low-pressure area will continue to bring rains over parts of the country today, according to state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The trough and easterlies will bring scattered rains over Palawan and Bicol region.

The northeast monsoon is affecting Northern and Central Luzon.

Cloudy skies with rains are forecast over Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region while isolated rains are expected over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.

Easterlies and localized thunderstorms may bring isolated rains over the rest of the country.

PAGASA warned of possible flash floods or landslides during heavy rains.