After Ruby: Major road bridging Tacloban, Samar impassable

The highway links Leyte and Samar islands, and leads to the port for inter-island transport, particularly between Samar island and mainland Luzon.

According to Eastern Visayas Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Director Blanche Gobenchiong, authorities are now determining the exact location of the landslide in Jiabong town, on the western side of Samar. Gobenchiong said authorities will be immediately deployed to clear the road so as not to hamper movement of logistical support and relief goods to the heavily affected areas in Samar.

But according to 8th ID spokesman Lt Colonel Erwin Alea the army, along with personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways, had started clearing operations by Sunday morning.  (The military later reported that the road was cleared at around 2:30 pm on Sunday, December 7.)

Meanwhile, the road connecting Tacloban and Marabot town in Samar is passable only for light vehicles due to fallen electric posts, according to Konnie Catilogo, Marabot Department of the Interior and Local Government officer.

Military forces and Department of Public Works and Highways personnel have already started clearing operations in various parts of the region.

Mayors in affected towns in Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar provinces have already asked help to augment their supply of relief goods, Gobenchiong said.

The OCD director added that the mayors were concerned their prepositioned relief goods could last for only two days. OCD Eastern Visayas is still assessing the situation across Typhoon Ruby-affected areas. – with a report from Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com