Friday, February 24, 2006
15 towns in Surigao del Sur are landslide-prone
By Bert Pacate
Correspondent
TANDAG, Surigao Del Sur -- Some 50 barangays in 15 towns of this province were listed as "prone to landslide hazard" by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Caraga.
The 15 towns were identified as Barobo, Bayabas, Bislig, Cagwait, Cantilan, Carmen, Carrascal, Cortes, Lanuza, Lingig, Marihatag, San Agustin, San Miguel, Tago and Tandag.
Caraga mines bureau Regional Director Alilo Ensomo Jr. claimed in his letter to Governor Vicente Pimentel Jr. Thursday that the list of the landslide-prone areas is primarily based on previous assessments they had conducted.
Provincial Disaster and Coordinating Council Chief Florencio Pimentel Jr. warned anew residents living near mountainsides to leave their places if the recent two-week heavy rains that caused flooding in the province would continue.
Pimentel said his junior officers have reported hundreds of fissures in mountain slopes in the past few days.
Three weeks ago, a 600-meter area of the national highway in Barangay Nurcia, Lanuza town, was covered with a one-meter high mud, according to District Engineer Joseph Calderon of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
No one was reported hurt in the incident.
Among the areas where big fissures have been seen were in Barangay Unidad, Cagwait town; Barangays Madrelino and Uba, Cortes town; Barangays Calatngan, Carromata and Libas Sud, San Miguel town; Barangays Anahao Bag-o and Cayale, Tago town and Barangays San Antonio, Pandanon and Buenavista, Tandag.
Ensomo said more than 200 families have already left their homes in the mountainsides of Barangays Libas Sud, Bolhoon and Carromata, San Miguel town, where gaping fissures have been seen.
He recalled that 17 people died and hundreds were wounded in the landslide that hit Libas Sud on March 26, 2002.
Pimentel directed the Provincial Disaster and Coordinating Council "to relocate to safer grounds residents living within hazardous areas prone to landslide."
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 24, 2006 issue)
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