More than 1,300 villages in Eastern Visayas face the threat of floods and landslides as Tropical Storm Opong barrels toward the region, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) warned on Wednesday, September 24.
MGB identified 1,035 villages as highly prone to flooding and 307 communities as highly susceptible to landslides. Northern Samar recorded the highest number of landslide-prone villages with 90, followed by Leyte with 81, Samar with 65, Eastern Samar with 30, Biliran with 29, and Southern Leyte with 12.
For flood-prone areas, Samar logged 332 villages, Eastern Samar 239, Northern Samar 233, Leyte 177, and Biliran 54.
MGB urged residents to monitor sudden changes in flood levels, soil movement, cracks in walls, or tilting posts that may signal danger. It also instructed communities near rivers, slopes, and drainage canals to stay alert and immediately report unusual activity to barangay officials.
The bureau directed Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees to coordinate with city and municipal disaster councils and prepare evacuation centers. It also released an advisory link where the public can access the full list of vulnerable villages.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar at noon, Wednesday.
PAGASA, in its 11am weather bulletin, said Opong was spotted 815 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao and could dump heavy rains in the coming days.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.