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Typhoon-hit Eastern Samar struggles with evacuation amid COVID-19 crisis

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ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AY3X6SPP8BU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA - Eastern Samar scrambled Thursday to shelter its residents from Typhoon Ambo after converting most of its evacuation centers into quarantine facilities for the coronavirus pandemic, its governor said.</p><p>The central Philippine province facing the Pacific Ocean earlier quarantined some 4,000 people for possible COVID-19 infection, none of whom had tested positive yet for the virus, said Governor Ben Evardone. <br/> <br/>&quot;Hindi naman puwedeng dalhin namin doon iyong mga evacuees sa mga centers, lalo na kung mayroon dong naka-ano na COVID. Hindi puwedeng paghalo-haluin iyon,&quot; he told ABS-CBN&#x27;s Teleradyo. </p><p>(We can&#x27;t bring the evacuees to the centers especially where there are potential COVID carriers. You can&#x27;t mix them up.) </p><p>&quot;Papaano iyong social distancing?&quot; he added. </p><p>(How can you implement social distancing?) </p><p>A one-meter distance between evacuees is required to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health said. </p><p>Evardone said he had no updates yet on how many people fled coastal areas since strong winds and rains began lashing the province before dawn. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">WATCH: Typhoon <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmboPH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmboPH</a> batters San Policarpo, Eastern Samar with strong winds and heavy downpour causing almost zero visibility in town this Thursday afternoon.<br/><br/>The storm made landfall in this town at 12:15 p.m. today. (Video courtesy of Roselyn Teñoso) <a href="https://t.co/o1L4UiPsL1">pic.twitter.com/o1L4UiPsL1</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1260822087398117376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2020</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>The first storm of the year made landfall over San Policarpio, Eastern Samar at 12:15 p.m., packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gusts of up to 185 kph, PAGASA said.<br/> <br/>&quot;Kaninang madaling-araw pa namin nararamdaman &#x27;tong malakas na hangin at ulan. Akala ko nga kaninang umaga pag nag-landfall. Iyon pala, patikim lang,&quot; said Evardone. </p><p>(We have experienced strong winds and rain since dawn. I thought it already made landfall then. That was just a taste.) </p><p>Eastern Samar needs to realign funds into relief operations because most of its resources were &quot;depleted&quot; to help residents who had been under lockdown since March 22, he said. </p><p>&quot;Grabe iyong paghahanda namin sa COVID crisis, ta&#x27;s ito (Ambo) tumama pa sa amin,&quot; he said. </p><p>(We prepared well for the COVID crisis, and this hit us as well.)</p>

<p>Eastern Samar scrambled Thursday to shelter its residents from Typhoon Ambo after converting most of its evacuation centers into quarantine facilities for the coronavirus pandemic, its governor said. </p>

Eastern Samar scrambled Thursday to shelter its residents from Typhoon Ambo after converting most of its evacuation centers into quarantine facilities for the coronavirus pandemic, its governor said.