Storm surges, lahar, flooding hit Bicol as #UwanPH pounds Eastern Luzon

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that Super Typhoon Uwan unleashed storm surges, lahar flow, and widespread flooding across parts of the Bicol Region on Sunday morning.

In a virtual press briefing, OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said Uwan’s intense rains triggered flooding in Barangay Masarawag, Guinobatan, Albay — an area historically vulnerable to lahar flow from Mayon Volcano.

“Incidents reported so far sa Bicol as of 10 o’clock, meron na pong reported flooding in Barangay Masarawag in Guinobatan, Albay. Ito ang palaging problema kapag may lahar flow,” Alejandro said.

In Catanduanes, storm surges and floods inundated parts of Virac, including Barangays Gogon, San Isidro, and Imelda Boulevard, as well as Gigmoto, according to OCD monitoring.

Meanwhile, widespread power outages and water supply disruptions have been reported across the Bicol Region. Communication lines in the towns of Bato and Pandan in Catanduanes were also cut off, complicating disaster response coordination.

As of Sunday morning, OCD data show that 916,863 individuals, or 270,682 families, have been preemptively evacuated from their homes in multiple regions, including the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Metro Manila, Bicol, and parts of Visayas.

The Bicol Region accounts for the largest number of evacuees with 660,721 individuals, followed by Eastern Visayas with 112,760 and Calabarzon with 74,388 evacuees.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Uwan was located over the coastal waters of Pandan, Catanduanes, moving west northwestward at 30 kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kph near the center and gusts of up to 230 kph.

The super typhoon is expected to pass near Calaguas and Polillo Islands before making landfall over the central portion of Aurora by Sunday evening or early Monday morning.

Authorities urged residents in coastal and low-lying areas to remain in evacuation centers until conditions stabilize, warning of continued risks of storm surges, flash floods, and landslides as Uwan moves closer to Luzon’s eastern seaboard.