In the Bicol Region, more than 46,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes due to relentless heavy rainfall and the looming dangers of floods and landslides. The Office of Civil Defense in Bicol (OCD-5) has reported that the evacuations were necessitated by the severe weather conditions brought on by the shear line. Gremil Alexis Naz, the spokesperson for OCD-5, emphasized the urgency of the situation during a recent interview, highlighting the collaborative efforts with disaster management offices across the region’s six provinces to keep track of the affected population. The evacuees, totaling 46,709 individuals from 9,896 families across four provinces, have found refuge in 77 evacuation centers, while others are staying with relatives. The impact of the continuous rain has also led to flooding in 32 local government units and has affected 58 local roads and bridges, with varying degrees of accessibility. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has forecasted ongoing rain due to the northeast monsoon, with the shear line expected to continue causing moderate to heavy rainfall in several areas of the Bicol Region, including Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon.
