GUINOBATAN, Albay—More than 700 families residing at the foot of Mount Mayon were evacuated by local officials early Saturday mornin g as Tropical Storm “Urduja” continued to pour rains over Bicol. Igmedio Pavericio, municipal disaster risk reduction officer, said police cars and government service vehicles transported the residents from Maninila and Tandarora villages to evacuation centers. ADVERTISEMENT“We are doing (pre-emtive evacuation) whenever there is a calamity to avoid casualty, particularly around Mayon which is very prone to floodings,” he said. For Rene Pilaza, 43, resident of Barangay (village) Maninila, following the evacuation order is the best thing to do during bad weather. It’s OK if we would only have flood but flood from Mayon carries rocks with it,” he said.# Michael B. Jaucian, @InquirerSLB, Inquirer Southern Luzon

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 16, 2017 06:56 UTC