2 Dead, 8 Hurt as Heavy Rain Batters Philippine Cordillera; Roads Cut Off

Two people have died and eight others were injured as days of heavy rain battered the Cordillera region in northern Philippines, cutting off at least 20 road sections and forcing hundreds of residents from their homes, government reports showed Sunday. The Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-CAR), citing data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in its noon situation report on Sunday, August 9, recorded two civilian deaths and eight injuries from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon, or habagat, and tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay. No civilians were reported missing. Police also reported 20 road sections impassable across Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, and Mountain Province because of landslides, swollen rivers, road slips, washouts, and other rain-related hazards. Abra accounted for nine of the impassable road sections, Benguet seven, Kalinga three, and Mountain Province one. Among the affected routes in Benguet were sections of the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road, Tawang-Ambiong Road, Suyoc-Sayatan-Posos Provincial Road and Gov. Bado National Road in Bakun. A landslide was also reported at Kilometer 49 in Paoay, Atok, where clearing operations were underway. Kennon Road was listed as open only to residents. PRO-CAR said 75 police personnel had been deployed for evacuation-center duties, road clearing, monitoring and other operations, while 1,074 Regional Standby Support Force personnel were listed in the regional response roster. The police report also recorded one search, rescue, and retrieval operation, with one person rescued and two bodies retrieved. PRO-CAR counted 51 families or 201 people in eight occupied evacuation centers as of noon on Sunday. The figure differs from an earlier Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera (DSWD-CAR) report, which recorded 43 families or 142 people in nine evacuation centers as of 7 am. Another 105 families, or 381 people, were temporarily staying with relatives or friends. The difference reflects separate agency reporting systems and cut-off times as evacuations and validation continue. Overall, the DSWD reported 468 families or 1,698 people affected in 94 barangays across the Cordillera as of 7 am. It also recorded 28 damaged houses — three totally damaged houses and 25 partially damaged houses. PRO-CAR’s noon report separately listed 15 damaged residential houses and one affected school or hospital facility. DSWD said P537,731.66 in humanitarian assistance had been provided by the agency, local governments, and other partners. It also reported about ₱105.29 million in available relief resources, including 88,391 family food packs, 9,609 ready-to-eat food packs, and thousands of non-food items. The worsening situation comes as PAGASA warned that Benguet could receive more than 200 millimeters of rain on Sunday, with accumulated rainfall potentially worsening flooding and landslide risks in already saturated areas. Police reported no isolated or unreachable barangays as of noon, but authorities continued to monitor road conditions and communities exposed to landslides, swollen rivers and other hazards. With conditions changing rapidly, residents were advised to rely on the latest advisories from PAGASA, local governments and disaster response agencies before traveling. For emergencies, the public may call the unified 911 emergency hotline. – Rappler.com