MANILA, Philippines - Amid continuing aftershocks, residents in areas affected by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake should also brace for landslides due to expected heavy rains.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the tail-end of a cold front would bring moderate to heavy rains over Caraga, including Surigao del Norte, and Davao regions in the next 24 hours. The weather system will also bring light to moderate rains over Eastern Visayas and the rest of Mindanao this weekend.
“Landslides are possible due to the instability of the soil after the earthquake,” Benison Estareja, PAGASA weather forecaster, said yesterday.
Estareja said rainy weather might prevail in the regions in the next three days.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said a total of 185 aftershocks were recorded as of 1 p.m. yesterday.
The strongest aftershock, a magnitude 4, was felt at Intensity 4 or moderately strong in Surigao City, Phivolcs said.
The 6.7 quake, which hit Surigao del Norte last week, left at least eight persons dead and more than 200 others injured. A state of calamity was declared in the province on Tuesday.
Infra damage
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the number of houses damaged by the quake rose from 1,034 to 2,210.
Damage to school buildings also increased to 40 from an initial 12.
The NDRRMC placed damage to infrastructure at P112.45 million, including roads, bridges, a hospital and a drug rehabilitation center.
Meanwhile, power was restored in San Francisco and Malimono towns and Surigao City on Tuesday. The Surigao Metropolitan Water District is working overtime to restore water supply.
As this developed, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. gave assurance it would cover the medical expenses of quake victims even if they are not members of PhilHealth. – With Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo