Thousands of people were forced to evacuate from their homes after tropical storm Urduja caused three days of heavy rains and widespread flooding in Eastern Samar and nearby provinces.
Tacloban City has been placed in a state of calamity after the tropical storm flooded more than half of the city, forcing the evacuation of over a thousand families, local officials said Friday.
In 2013, Tacloban was ground zero of Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the strongest storms ever recorded where over 6,000 people died.
The state weather bureau PAGASA placed many areas in the region under tropical signals No. 1 and No. 2.
Some incidents of landslides due to heavy rains were also reported, displacing more families and leaving various highways blocked with debris, including major roads in Catbalogan City, San Julian, and Maasin City in Southern Leyte.
In Tacloban, a mother and child sustained serious injuries after a landslide incident.
At least 40 flights bound to Visayas have also been cancelled today, December 17, as Urduja slowly crossed Visayas, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
Urduja is expected to weaken to a tropical depression on Monday as it moves its way to the West Philippine Sea.
Meanwhile, another Low-Pressure Area (LPA) spotted in the east of General Santos City is being monitored by PAGASA.
It is expected to enter the country on Tuesday. Once it becomes a tropical depression, it is to be named as typhoon “Vinta”.
