TACLOBAN CITY – At least two people drowned while thousands of residents have been displaced due to flooding caused by heavy downpour, according to the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8).
A councilman of Barangay Del Pilar Las Navas, Northern, Samar was swept away by floodwaters after checking his carabaos and hogs.
Rice and coconut farms were also washed out by the flood that reached the roofs of houses and buildings.
A four-year-old child died after the boat he was riding capsized in Oguis Island, Barangay Saugan, Oras, Eastern Samar due to strong winds and huge waves on January 9.
A church located at Mount Sinai Church in Barangay Abucay, Tacloban City has been washed out by a landslide while the seawall in Barangay Dalakit, Catarman, Northern Samar, was also destroyed.
At least 96 barangays in the region were reportedly flooded.
In Northern Samar, 10 villages of Catubig town, 15 villages of Las Navas, and a village in Silvino Lubos town were likewise flooded.
In Eastern Samar province, seven barangays of Jipapad, 23 upstream barangays of Dolores, 13 upstream and interior villages of Oras, two in Maslog, nine in Taft, and 14 in Can-avid were also affected by heavy flooding.
In Leyte, two barangays were flooded while three roads were impassable.
Sogod, in Southern Leyte to Mahaplag, Leyte remains impassable to four-wheeled vehicles, including Abuyog-Silago Southern Leyte Route.
Road and Bridges are not passable in Jipapad Eastern Samar and Taft Eastern Samar, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways due to a possible landslide.
A total of 441 families and 1,833 individuals have been evacuated to safer places in Southern Leyte, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.
Landslides were reported in Barangay Hindang, Borongan City and along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Pancho Villa and Barangay Kahupian, both in Sogod, Southern Leyte.
A red rainfall warning was issued Wednesday in the Eastern Visayas region. (Marie Tonette Marticio)
