LEGAZPI CITY (PIA) — About 38,400 individuals have remained in evacuation centers in the Bicol region due to heavy rains from a shear line.
A total of 7,858 families or 38,362 individuals are being sheltered in 77 evacuation centers, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Legazpi City said on Monday.
OCD-5, the executive arm and secretariat of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, recorded that 35,743 families or 158,968 persons in flood-and landslide-prone areas have been displaced by heavy rainfall caused by the prevailing shear line since January 8.
A shear line is the intersection of the cold Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) and warm winds from the Pacific Ocean.
The intermittent intense rainfall since the second week of January has caused landslides and significant flooding in some areas in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Albay, prompting the local disaster management authorities to move the vulnerable residents to evacuation centers.
In addition, 2,038 families, or 8,777 individuals are sheltered by relatives, friends, and other private safer houses.
A total of P7,987,362 worth of relief assistance was provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office 5 to the affected families, the OCD-5 said.
Meanwhile, the DSWD relief assistance includes family food packs and nonfood items, such as blankets, family tents, and hygiene kits.
“The DSWD continues to monitor the condition of families affected by shear line, who are still staying in evacuation centers,” said DSWD Regional Director Norman Laurio. (PIA 5)
