TACLOBAN CITY – The main road section in Taft, Eastern Samar has been cleared of debris from a landslide but would remain closed to traffic for safety reasons, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Saturday.
Information officer of DPWH – Eastern Samar, Jayson Espeso, said based on the site assessment of their technical personnel, debris fall is still imminent in the area.
“The two lanes of the road are now passable to all types of vehicles but would remain closed to traffic until further notice. There is an ongoing slope protection project in the area and once the contractor has installed additional safety signage and barricades, it will immediately be opened,” he said in a phone interview.
Continuous rainfall triggered the landslide along a portion of the national road in Binaloan village that occurred at about 5 a.m. on January 12.
However, Espeso said the clearing work began two days later due to bad weather that made the slope “unstable and dangerous for any clearing activity.”
The DPWH completed the clearing of the landslide mass, estimated at 5,000 cubic meters, on Friday afternoon.
No one was hurt during the landslide as the road section was closed to traffic two days earlier due to possible landslide and rockfall.
Motorists have been advised to take the Buenavista-Lawaan-Marabut road to travel between Borongan City, the northern part of Eastern Samar, Samar province, and this regional capital.
This week, widespread flooding and minor landslides were reported in several parts of the region due to non-stop rains that started late last week.
Thousands of families were affected particularly in the towns of Sulat, Taft, Dolores, Arteche, Can-avid, Maslog, and Oras in Eastern Samar; Catubig, Catarman, Las Navas, and San Roque in Northern Samar; and Matuguinao in Samar, according to the regional disaster risk reduction and management council.
The weather bureau said the region experienced heavy rains due to the tail-end of a frontal system and a low-pressure area. (PNA)
