Apayao suspends classes due to heavy rain

BAGUIO CITY Philippines — Classes in all public and private schools across Apayao were suspended yesterday due to continuous heavy rain.

The provincial government said the suspension was intended to ensure the safety of students and school personnel, who may experience difficulty in going home due to possible flooding.

Gov. Elias Bulut Jr. ordered the class suspension after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued heavy rainfall warnings at 11 a.m. over the towns of Calanasan, Luna and Santa Marcela.

The towns of Flora and Pudtol as well as several municipalities in the neighboring province of Cagayan were placed under the yellow warning due to possible flooding and landslides.

PAGASA said that light to moderate, to at times heavy rainfall lasting two to three hours may  prevail in some parts of Aurora, Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

Similar weather conditions are expected in the rest of the Cordilleras, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley as well as in some areas of Apayao and Aurora.

People residing on mountain slopes were urged to watch out for mud, rock or landslides as well as flash floods.

The Apayao provincial disaster risk reduction and management office gave assurance that monitoring of rivers, road conditions and landslide-prone areas would continue.

Authorities said that  search and rescue teams were placed on standby to respond to any emergency.

Residents reported rising water levels in some areas, although no major incidents have been officially confirmed.