AFFECTED RESIDENTS. The low pressure area (LPA) affecting Caraga Region has displaced around 317 families in Dinagat Islands province as of Wednesday (Jan. 11, 2023). As of 10 a.m. on Jan. 12, the LPA was spotted 355 kilometers southeast of Surigao City, bringing moderate to heavy rains in most parts of the region. (Photo grabbed from DOST PAGASA Butuan Facebook Page)
BUTUAN CITY – At least 317 families or 1,026 individuals were forced to abandon their homes and took shelter in evacuation centers at Dinagat Islands province due to heavy rains the past four days caused by the low pressure area (LPA).
“The affected residents are from 16 barangays in six towns in the province,” said Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. in a statement Thursday.
The governor said the figure was based on a report by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), which he also chairs.
Since Monday, Demerey said local government units have been prepositioning resources needed in response operations, to immediately cater to the needs of the displaced residents.
The PDRRMC report also indicated that classes were suspended in all schools in the towns of Libjo and Loreto.
Twelve schools in the town of Tubajon, 11 schools in Basilisa and two schools in San Jose also suspended their classes since Tuesday to safeguard the students from the effects of the weather disturbance.
As of this posting, no notices have been issued yet as to the resumption of classes in the affected areas of the province.
Two landslide incidents, which both took place Wednesday, were reported in Barangay Poblacion, Cagdianao town; and in Barangay San Antonio in Libjo town.
“Unpassable roads due to landslides have been cleared and are now passable to travelers,” Demerey said.
The LPA also incurred damage worth PHP264,500 to agriculture and fishery sectors in the province, the PDRRMC report indicated.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the LPA was spotted at 355 kilometers southeast of Surigao City, bringing moderate to heavy rains in most parts of the Caraga region. (PNA)
