NORTHERN SAMAR, Philippines – Heavy rain driven by a shear line swept across Northern Samar on Monday, January 5, prompting pre-emptive evacuations and causing widespread flooding and landslides.

Officials said the bad weather conditions adversely affected some 1,449 families, or about 5,332 people, in Northern Samar. Of those affected, about 984 families or 3,582 people evacuated to 43 centers while the remainder sought shelter with relatives. 

The heavy rain was attributed to a shear line, an area where winds from different directions meet. This usually happens when cool, dry winds from the northeast collide with warm, moist winds from the Pacific. When these winds meet, the air is forced upward, creating prolonged rain that can lead to flooding and landslides, especially during the northeast monsoon season.

In the municipality of San Roque, 119 people stayed in evacuation centers and 1,077 with host families.

Classes and government work were suspended across the province, and the airport was declared non-operational. 

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that 24 municipalities, including 90 barangays, were affected. 

Flooding was recorded in 50 barangays, while landslides occurred in Barangay Washington in Catarman and Barangay Mirador in Mondragon. Landslides and soil erosion were also reported in Trangue. 

Despite the disruption, all roads and bridges remained passable, seaports and terminals continued operations. 

The state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised rainfall warnings from yellow to orange between 12 pm and 5 pm as the weather system intensified. The provincial disaster response operations center was placed under red alert and operated round-the-clock.

Agricultural losses in Bobon alone, due to dead livestock and poultry, were initially estimated at P500,000.

Northern Samar PDRRMO head Rei Josiah Echano said no deaths, injuries, or missing persons were reported, crediting early preparedness measures. 

“We activated the operations center early and implemented pre-emptive evacuation to ensure the safety of our residents,” Echano told Rappler. He said pre-disaster assessments conducted earlier guided the evacuations.

Telecommunication services remained active, except for DITO which experienced a complete outage. 

The PDRRMO deployed 20 personnel, 250 family food packs, 300 hygiene kits, and a floating asset to assist communities affected by rising water levels, with dams reported above normal levels.

Echano said the office continues to monitor conditions and has prepositioned resources in anticipation of further rainfall. – Rappler.com