Continuous and heavy rains Wednesday evening have caused landslides and damage to a bridge in the municipality of Pamplona, Negros Oriental, cutting a vital link in the Pamplona-Sta. Catalina highway.
Lorena Jo Ebora, head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) of Pamplona confirmed that as early as 4 a.m. Thursday, their office had received reports of a road rendered impassable due to one big landslide and a bridge that was also impassable after the river waters had overflowed.
Ebora said Tropical Storm Agaton early this week had brought rains to Pamplona but Wednesday evening’s heavy volume of rains caused the Tanjay River to overflow and the already loosened soil by the weather disturbance resulted in the landslides.
The Provincial Engineer’s Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways had begun clearing operations Thursday morning.
The first to respond to the scene were the DRRMO members and the Pamplona police to secure the area at dawn Friday in the absence of ample lighting, said Ebora.
The Simborio Bridge, meanwhile, also remains impassable to motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles after the Tanjay River and other river systems overflowed, with strong river currents washing away the bridge’s approach, Ebora said.
The Simborio barangay DRRM council, however, had initiated ways early Thursday, such as putting up improvised ladders, so that students and teachers could cross the bridge on foot on their way to school, Ebora disclosed.
The DPWH has already responded and inspected the damaged bridge. Gov. Mark Macias also visited the area to oversee the repair work.
Other barangays in Pamplona have also reported of minor landslides/land slips, while some spillways had also overflowed.
These areas have river systems that are interconnected, Sedillo said. (Metro Post/with a report from Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)
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