Local exec says 5-10 barangays still isolated in Northern Samar

Graphics by Jannielyn Ann Bigtas

A local government official said Monday that five to 10 barangays in Northern Samar are still isolated following the massive flooding in the area last week.

Josh Echano, head of the Northern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said that these barangays consist of 2,000 to 3,000 residents when asked how many barangays are still isolated due to the bad weather.

“It is just around five to 10 barangays na lang and by population siguro mga two to 3,000 na lang sila. And the Armed Forces stationed in our area has already facilitated the immediate relief operations of these barangays ‘no through chopper ‘no – tsina-chopper na po namin iyong mga augmentation food packs sa mga barangay na ito as early as yesterday,” Echano said in a public briefing.

[It is just around five to ten barangays and by population, we are estimating them to be 3,000. And the Armed Forces stationed in our area has already facilitated the immediate relief operations of these barangays .. we use helicopters in distributing food packs to these barangays as early as yesterday.]

Echano said 98% of the affected residents have already returned to their homes.

Weather bureau PAGASA earlier said that Catarman experienced more than a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours, with authorities attributing it to the shear line, where cold and warm air converge.

The weather disturbance forced over 24,000 families to evacuate. This also prompted officials to place Northern Samar under state of calamity.

Floodwaters were so high that residents were seen clinging to pieces of wood and styrofoam while others were forced to swim to safety amid the presence of electric wires. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

This article Local exec says 5-10 barangays still isolated in Northern Samar was originally published in GMA News Online.