LEGAZPI CITY --- Flash floods and landslide spawned by heavy rains on Sunday claimed the lives of two people, while nine others are still missing. This, as 4,636 families or 23,180 people were evacuated to safer grounds in five towns of Camarines Norte, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday.

        OCD said, however, the reports that two fatalities reportedly drowned have yet to be validated, while nine fishermen from Mercedes town were reportedly still missing.

        Bernardo Alejandro, OCD regional director said the latest count on the number of families in evacuation camps rose to 4,636 in the towns of Mercedes with 2,948 evacuees followed by Labo – 1,093; Paracale – 194; Vinzons – 171; Daet – 150; and San Vicente with 80 evacuees.

         Alejandro said flood waters submerged at least 47 villages in those towns..

        Landslides also hit the villages of Malaguit in Paracale; Malatap and Canapawan in Labo town, also all in Camarines Norte.

        Heavy rains brought by the tailend of the cold front started at 1 a.m. Sunday triggering waters in river channels to overflow in the area that washed out at least six bridges in the towns of Labo and San Vicente.

        Major road networks in the towns of Labo, Vinzons, and the Manila South road in Labo town were rendered impassable to heavy and light vehicles due to chest-level flood waters, but government engineers last Monday started to clear the area of debris.

        Water supply had been cut off in the towns of Daet, Talisay, Basud, San Vicente, Mercedes and Vinzons.

        The Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol had sent teams and medicines to assess the health requirements in the affected areas, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Bicol provided P366,361 worth of relief items composed of family food packs, used clothing, blankets, mats and beddings.

        Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) vehicles brought water purifying equipment in the affected areas.


WATERWORLD. A boy wades through a flooded field to run errand for his parents in the aftermath of the flood that submerged vast tracts of farmlands in Camarines Norte.

JAN REV DAVILA

NONE WAS SPARED. More disturbing scenes of the deluge captured by Bicol Mail lensman Francis Elevado.