Tacloban City - Leyte Governor and Chairman of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council Jericho "Icot" Petilla said that warnings have already been issued to all municipal and barangay leaders to always be on guard as the region experiences landslide incidents due to the incessant rains.

But the governor said that the warnings issued seems not be of good use as people in the village does not heed them, which results to ill consequences.

"We issue warning practically every time there is a (weather disturbance). But the question here is if this warnings are being followed by our people," Petilla said yesterday during the weekly "Harampang at the regional office of the Philippine National Police.

He narrated an incident in barangay Cangumbang, a flood-prone village in Palo, where people evacuated their personal effects and even pigs but choose not to leave their homes.

For weeks now, the entire region has been experiencing continuous rain that the result to the death of 17 people and dislocation of tens of thousands of families in the different parts of the region, most notably in Northern Samar.

Here in the province, the towns of Abuyog, Burauen, Palo, among others, were affected by floods. The governor, however, could not say yet officially the damaged sustained by those municipalities saying that he still awaits reports from the fields.

"We are still getting reports which also need to be validated, "Petilla said, adding that he want to correct information.

This way, assistance needed most by the affected people could be immediately extended to them, the governor said.

The governor also said that with Leyte province identified among the flood-prone areas in the country, it has been his policy to conduct disaster management preparedness trainings and seminars.

He revealed that the German Technical Agency for Cooperation, known as GTZ, has been assisting this training by providing some needed equipment like rubber boats and mobile hospital and early warning devises like rain gauge, among others.

Those equipment are big help during relief operations during disaster like the d\big fire that hit four barangays in the city last Sept., the governor added.