Ormoc, Kananga officials mull permanent relocation of 4 barangays, 2 sitios

The local government units of quake-hit Kananga town and Ormoc City are planning to permanently relocate hundreds of families after assessing the risks posed by future earthquakes on their present location.

Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez told Unang Balita in an interview that at least four villages may need to be permanently relocated to safer areas.

"Hindi na sila puwedeng ibalik doon sa dating lugar nila. Masyadong magiging peligroso sa buhay nila. Hindi na talaga siguro, it's too risky," Gomez said.

Based on the assessment of experts from the Department of Science and Technology who visited the city on Sunday, several areas are at risk of landslides.

Gomez said that during the initial days after the quake, they thought the damage on the city was just minimal.

"Malaki pala talaga. Ang haba ng rupture," he said.

A report by GMA News' JP Soriano said several  houses were totally damaged by the quake. A basketball court in one of the hard-hit villages was torn in half and its concrete surface was raised by a few centimeters.

Streets in some areas in the city were also cracked as well as schools and business establishments.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday that a total of 707 houses were totally damaged and 227 more were partially damaged by the quake in Ormoc City.

Mayor Rowena Codilla of Kananga town, meanwhile, said residents of at least two sitios will also have to be permanently evacuated.

Codilla and Gomez both said local authorities may have to forcibly evacuate the remaining residents who are refusing to leave the barangays which are at risk of sustaining more damage.

Gomez said the local disaster management council will convene today to decide whether to declare a state of calamity in Ormoc city.

Kananga town meanwhile has already been placed under a state of calamity.

A total of 28 houses were totally damaged and 802 were partially damaged in the town, according to the NDRRMC.

The fatalities from the magnitude 6.5 quake last Thursday were residents of Ormoc City and Kananga. At least 200 people have been reported hurt.

Power in both areas has been partially stored, but classes remain suspended because schools were also damage by the quake.

The NDRRMC's initial estimate of the earthquake's damage in Leyte was placed at P51.7 million. —ALG/KVD, GMA News