Weather bureau warns of ‘creeping disaster’

QUEZON CITY – An official of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned of a “creeping disaster” with the recent spate of heavy rains in some provinces.

PAGASA officer-in-charge Graciano Yumul said the heavy surge of rainfall in the past few months in the provinces is a “creeping disaster.”
”What we’re having right now is a creeping disaster. We expect above normal rainfall because of the existing La Niña phenomenon. We expect this to persist up to the months of March, April and May,” he said.
Northeastern Mindanao is experiencing a rain surge for the past days.
Yumul said the rainfall in Surigao City last June has reached 1,800 millimeters or an increase of 300 percent from the average rainfall of 600 millimeters.
”So far, in these areas this is the highest recorded rainfall,” Yumul said.
”The eastern seaboard right now is receiving too much precipitation because of La Niña,” he added.
Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman said the total number of affected families reached 292,363 or 1.4 million persons.
”We continue to have prepositioned items and funds,” she said.
Soliman said they are coordinating with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in providing information dissemination for prevention and disaster preparedness.
She also said plans are underway on how to assist marginalized fishers and farmers who are the most affected during calamities.