Rehabs, evacuations continue amid ‘Uwan’ onslaught

BONTOC — Mountain Province reported two fatalities and four injuries as local governments and communities began clearing and rehabilitation works Tuesday, a day after typhoon “Uwan” ravaged the area.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed that both deaths occurred in the municipality of Barlig. Injuries were also reported in Barlig, Bauko, Paracelis and Sagada.

The typhoon caused significant damage to 185 houses across the province, with 174 sustaining partial damage — including 54 in Bauko, 47 in Sagada, and 28 in Sadanga -- and 11 houses completely destroyed. The destruction included five homes each in Bontoc and Bauko, and one in Besao.

Displacement remains a concern, though many have returned home, as a cumulative total of 405 families were displaced outside evacuation centers, with 151 families, or 535 individuals, still displaced as of Tuesday.

An additional 57 families are currently housed in evacuation centers. Natonin and Paracelis recorded the largest total number of displaced persons.

Meantime, movement across the province remains severely hampered, with several major roads deemed impassable due to landslides, mudslides and blockages.

Affected national roads include the Mountain Province-Nueva Vizcaya Road, the Mt. Province-Cagayan via Tabuk-Enrile Road, the Abatan-Maba-ay at Maowey, Mabaay Section, and the Junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis-Calaccad Road. Several provincial roads are also closed.

All municipalities in Mountain Province are experiencing power outages, and the Mountain Province Electric Cooperative requested patience as restoration efforts continue.

Telecommunications are unstable, with Smart and Globe networks affected, though PLDT, Converge and Starlink services remain stable. Residents were urged to remain vigilant as the Mallig, Masablang and Layaen Rivers are at monitor level.

Separately, the Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response operations rescued 59 trapped families and conducted pre-emptive evacuation of 57,861 families across Northern and Central Luzon ahead of the storm’s landfall.