ALBAY TECF SPAWNED-LANDSLIDE BURIES 5 HOUSES; RESIDENTS EVACUATED

By CET DEMATERA

LEGAZPI CITY---After the continuing heavy rains triggered a landslide that buried five houses the other night in Oas town, Albay officials immediately evacuated early morning yesterday to safer grounds at least 379 families, or 1,973 persons in the threatened farflung, mountainous villages of Calaguimit and Casinagan.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda clarified though that no one was hurt as occupants of the buried houses had already pre-emptively left their village a day before the avalanche took place.

“Thanks God. Our preemptive evacuation again saved precious lives of our constituents. Of course the credit is for all the Albayanos who always heed the order of our authorities,” Salceda said.

Salceda said he had already dispatch a team to assess the landslide’s extent of damage and to check whether more villages in Oas town are potential flashfloods or landslide threatened as heavy downpour shifted to Albay western coast from the eastern sea board.

Cedric Daep, chief of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo), who led an assessment and relief team to Oas town, said that the land movement was so strong that it dislocated a road at least 20 meters away from its former location; created a 12- to 15-meter high crack and up to 30 meter-long fissure.

Cedric said they had already ordered the evacuation of all the residents in the two villages, including the relocation of an elementary school.

“Meantime, we immediately told them to leave the place, but we are really going to permanentmy relocated them including the school buildings,” Daep said.

Daep said he had brought some sample of the eroded soil for closer examination of the government’s mines and geo-sciences bureau (MGB).

Salceda said he had already sent 78 sacks of rice through the provincial social welfare department for the displaced residents due to the recent landside.

Salceda also commended Oas Mayor Greg Ricarte and his personnel for the immediate evacuation of the residents whose houses were gobbled by the eroded soil.

“The story could have been so different had not for the quick response of our officials preeemptively evacuation these residents,” Salceda said. (cet dematera)