Tropical depression Vicky leaves 2 dead, 2 missing

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines — Two persons died yesterday while two others were hurt after a landslide occurred in a village in Mahaplag, Leyte and two others were reported missing in Davao Oriental after heavy rains brought by tropical depression Vicky battered Eastern Visayas and Mindanao since Friday.

Disaster management officials said the neighboring towns of Abuyog and Javier were flooded and at least two bridges along the highway were damaged.

The Mahaplag landslide occurred in Barangay Cuatro de Agosto at around 4 a.m. yesterday.

The Mahaplag Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMDO) identified the fatalities as Evelina Larano, 67, and Junilinda Milano, 62.

Barangay chairman Jose Piamonte said residents conducted search and rescue operations in the landslide area and recovered the bodies of the two fatalities.

Piamonte said two other victims, identified as Ryan Amos, 14, and Godofredo Larano Jr., were rescued and reportedly sustained minor injuries.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana said two residents remained missing in flooded villages in Davao Oriental.
He said policemen were deployed to conduct search and rescue operations in the affected areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 1,500 residents were evacuated in Regions 10, 11 and Caraga, particularly in the provinces of Bukidnon, Davao del Oro and Surigao del Sur where houses were submerged when rivers overflowed following continuous rains brought by the storm that made landfall in Baganga, Davao Oriental last Friday.

Tropical Depression Vicky was expected to make landfall in the vicinity of northern or central Palawan last night after the storm moved northwestward over Sulu Sea, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Vicky was spotted 185 kilometers east of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan yesterday at 1 p.m. and was moving westward at 20 kilometers per hour.

It carries maximum sustained winds of 45kph and gustiness of up to 55kph at the center.

Vicky is forecast to remain a tropical depression while crossing the Philippine archipelago.

The storm is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility this afternoon or later this evening and is expected to intensify into a tropical storm once it reaches the West Philippine Sea.

PAGASA said heavy and intense rains may be experienced over the Bicol region and the provinces of Quezon, Aurora, Isabela and Quirino.

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy and at times intense rains can also be expected over Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Oriental Mindoro, Kalayaan Islands and the rest of mainland Cagayan Valley.

Metro Manila, Eastern Visayas, Bulacan, Dinagat Islands, parts of the Cordilleras, CALABARZON and MIMAROPA are expected to see light to moderate with at times heavy rains.

PAGASA warned that flooding and rain-induced landslides may occur during heavy or prolonged periods of rainfall, especially in high-risk areas due to significant rainfall over the past couple of weeks.

Adjacent areas may also experience flooding due to the swelling of some river channels.

Both the northeast monsoon and Vicky will bring rough to very rough seas over the entire seaboard of Northern Luzon, the Aurora seaboard and the eastern seaboards of Quezon, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Samar. – Romina Cabrera, Emmanuel Tupas