MANILA, Philippines — Authorities on Thursday issued warnings about possible floods and landslides in the Bicol region and most parts of the Visayas and Mindanao following continuous rains brought about by the presence of a low-pressure area (LPA) east of Mindanao.

Raffy Alejandro, director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol region, said their focus is on some towns of Albay and Camarines Sur which have already been swept by flashfloods that left two people dead early this week.

“We are monitoring the town of Polangui (Albay) and nearby areas, it is the hardest hit of the flooding early this week,” said Alejandro in a phone interview at noon Thursday.

“Right now, the rain here (Albay) is moderate to heavy,” he said.

The downpour prompted Albay Gov. Joey Salceda to extend the suspension of classes from elementary to high school in the entire province.

Part of the preparations in Albay, according to Alejandro, is the prepositioning of trucks and other large vehicles in Polangui and the rest of the 3rd District of Albay, the flood-prone area of the province.

But Alejandro said all the town mayors were advised to prepare for possible evacuation of residents in low-lying areas.

“The provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes and Masbate are on alert status and 24-hour monitoring,” said Alejandro.

Meanwhile, Alert Level 1 was raised by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) Thursday over the the cities of Surigao, Butuan and the provinces of Dinagat, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Siargao Island and other areas of Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga region) following the continuous rains that began last Saturday.

The DRRMC and Office of Civil Defense in Caraga issued advisories to all residents living along the flood plain, flood-prone and low-lying areas, creeks and river banks to be vigilant and to take appropriate preventive measures.

The DRRMC said that water level of the Agusan River has started to rise. (With reports from Ellalyn B. De Vera and Anjo Perez)