THE rain that poured in Bohol for about a week and caused massive preemptive evacuation in flood vulnerable towns has dwindled and the skies remained gloomy as of yesterday.
In northern Mindanao, particularly Misamis Oriental, continuous downpour the past week did not spare some parts of Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog City from massive floodings that prompted the preventive evacuation.
Gingoog City Mayor Erick G. Cañosa personally ordered the forced evacuation thru its disaster risk reduction office. It gathered some 1,661 families or 4,537 individuals in different evacuation centers in the city and distributed food stuff, according to its information office.
A resident said that this may have prompted President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to visit the city to personally check the situation but he gave no details.
Bohol Island News reported in its website that almost 600 families were evacuated as a result of the low pressure are (LPA) and shear line weather.
It said, “As of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jagna had the most number of evacuees with 146 families, Clarin with 146 families and Loboc with 74 families from Barangay Valladolid.”
“Pagasa issued ‘red rainfall warning’ in Bohol at 11:10 PM, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. A red rainfall advisory is issued when downpours constitute an emergency. This is raised when observed rainfall is more than 30 mm within one hour or if rainfall has continued for the past three hours and is more than 65 mm. When Pagasa raises a Red warning, communities should be prepared to respond. It means serious flooding is seen and that residents should be ready to evacuate to safety,” reports said.
“In meteorology, a line or narrow zone across which there is an abrupt change in the horizontal wind component parallel to this line; a line of maximum horizontal wind shear,” according to American Meteorological Society.
The red rainfall advisory has prompted Gov. Aris Aumentado to suspend the classes in all public and private schools and work in government in the entire province.
Though there was no windy weather, the incessant downpour is believed to have caused the collapse of the approached of Pamacsalan bridge that cut off the way to the Poblacion of Pilar town, according to the report.
The bridge collapse has ignited the courage of the governor to immediately personally inspect the place after the local officials on Thursday closed the said bridge to motorists. “He had instructed the provincial engineer’s office to conduct rapid assessment to repair the bridge,” TIMES said.
In Valencia town, Mayor Dionisio Neil Balite did the checking of the Anislag Spring in Barangay Omjon on Jan 12, 2023 due to floodings of the spillway.
Anislag Spring, about 20 kms from twn proper, is said to be a popular destination among the locals and tourist.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said in its weather advisory No 26 that the low pressure area is likely to become a tropical depression. It is located 226 kms east northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. But it will bring moderate to intense downpour in the next 24 hours. (rvo)
