Residents in 2 areas in Tiwi, Albay asked to leave due to land cracks

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Disaster officials in Bicol have asked residents of two areas in Tiwi town in Albay to evacuate due to recently-discovered cracks in mountainous zones.

Claudio Yucot, chief of Bicol’s Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), said on Wednesday, January 2, that residents in two areas in Barangay Maynonong in Tiwi should leave their houses for safety after the Mines and Geonsciences Bureau (MGB) discovered cracks in the area.

Landslides across Bicol claimed dozens of lives as the death toll due to Tropical Depression Usman continues to rises.  

Yucot said that the MGB found big land cracks in the areas of Barangay Maynonong adjacent to Barangay Patitinan in Sagñay, Camarines Sur. 

There were 24 reported fatalities in a landslide in Barangay Patitinan in Sagñay town.

Social welfare regional director Arnel Garcia said 22,959 families or 108,615 people have been affected by Usman as of January 2. This number is from a total of 240 barangays across the region.

There are currently 5,541 families or 28,025 people in evacuation centers. Garcia said 10,417 affected families, or 53,566 people, are coping outside evacuation camps.

Classes in the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur have been suspended, and will resume only on January 7.

Bicol University has also suspended classes, and will resume on January 7 too. (READ: #WalangPasok: Class suspensions for January 3, 4) – Rappler.com