ILOILO – Cracks that appeared on the ground forced six families in the hinterland barangay of Igcatambor, Miag-ao town to leave their houses.
Such preemptive evacuation on Sunday (Aug. 5) was needed to ensure the families’ safety in case of a landslide, said Ronan John Austria, chief of Miag-ao’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
The families were made up of about 30 individuals.
Austria said incessant rains may have caused the cracks.
“It was Mayor Macario Napulan who ordered the forced evacuation,” Austria added.
The six families temporarily stayed at Igcatambor Elementary School, the village’s daycare center and barangay. Others stayed with relatives in nearby barangays.
Yesterday, some already returned to their houses.
Miag-ao was one of the 10 municipalities in Iloilo that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Western Visayas identified as prone to landslides.
The nine other towns were Igbaras, Leon, Tubungan, San Joaquin, Maasin, Janiuay, Calinog, Lambunao, and Alimodian.
“The upland villages of our town are prone to landslide when there is rain, be it not really heavy but sustained or continuous rain,” said Austria.
Early this week, MDRRMO recorded incidents of loose soil and stones falling on roads in three Miag-ao upland barangays – Cagbang, Tumagboc and Lacadon./PN
