INUNDATED. A flooded road in Las Navas town, Northern Samar province at the highway that links several Northern Samar towns to Eastern Samar province. Flooding caused by incessant rains closed several road sections in Samar provinces on Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2023), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported. (Photo courtesy of DPWH Region 8)
TACLOBAN CITY – Flooding caused by incessant rains closed several road sections in Samar provinces on Tuesday, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office here reported.
Impassable road sections are in Quezon village in Bobon town, Northern Samar province; Bigo village in Arteche town, Eastern Samar province; Bugay village in Las Navas town, Northern Samar; and Poblacion village in Lope de Vega town, Northern Samar.
The affected road sections are within national roads, linking different towns in the provinces of Samar.
The most flooded is the road in Arteche town blocked by 1.4-meter-deep flood water.
The low-lying road forms part of the highway that links the provinces of Eastern and Northern Samar.
A road slip was also reported in Pagbalican village in Calbayog City along the Calbayog Diversion Road due to continuous heavy rainfall. However, the road is still passable to all types of vehicles.
The non-stop rain also triggered a landslide in Caraycaray village in San Miguel town, Leyte province, closing half of the lane of the road. It took six hours for the maintenance workers to clear the debris.
DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Tabacon said personnel have been mobilized to regularly check flood- and landslide-prone road sections.
The DPWH also deployed equipment in strategic areas to conduct immediate clearing activities in case of soil erosions.
“We have been regularly issuing advisories to inform the public about road closures and what are the alternative routes to their destinations,” Tabacon said in a phone interview.
Eastern Visayas provinces have been experiencing heavy rains since the third week of December due to the shear line, low pressure area, and northeast monsoon. (PNA)
