Albay evacuees sent back home

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines  – After staying in evacuation centers for over three weeks, 2,268 families or 11,577 villagers were finally allowed yesterday to return to their homes in six landslide-stricken towns in Albay. 

Gov. Joey Salceda based his order on the assessment of weather forecasters that the prevailing tail-end of a cold front would not be bringing heavy rains at least in the next two days.

“I already sent a team headed by (provincial public safety chief) Cedric Daep to assess the overall situation in Manito town to inform them of their decampment and to reorient them on what to do should heavy rains prevail again,” Salceda told The STAR. 

Given the go-signal to return to their homes were 748 families or 4,487 residents of 11 barangays in Manito; 502 families or 2,578 residents of eight barangays in Malilipot; 435 families or 1,506 residents of four villages in Sto. Domingo; 381 families or 1,954 residents of three upland villages in Camalig; 160 families or 834 residents of three far-flung and island villages in Bacacay; and 42 families or 218 residents of the hilly village of Gabawan in Daraga.

Salceda, however, said these residents of flood- and landslide-prone villages would be told to return to the evacuation centers should the weather condition worsen again.