Close to 5,000 families or more than 22,000 individuals in Negros Oriental have been evacuated to safety following the onslaught of Typhoon “Tino” (international name “Kalmaegi”) yesterday.
“This is just an initial report, as we expect the numbers to rise today, as more people are still being evacuated as rains persist in some parts of the province that threaten landslides and flooding,” said Adrian Sedillo, who heads the province’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO), in an interview.
An initial situation report from the provincial LDRRMO showed that as of 8:00 a.m., 4,219 families or 16,158 individuals, were staying at evacuation centers in various towns and cities.
Additionally, a report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) showed that 584 families or 6,318 individuals in Guihulngan City were evacuated as flooding occurred due to heavy rains brought by Tino, said Lt. Marionne Abigail Enopia, commander of the Coast Guard Station Negros Oriental.
Sedillo said the consolidation of all reports will be done at the end of the day, as they gradually receive information from various agencies.
Local government units and the DSWD have responded immediately, handing out provisions of food packs, water and other relief goods to the internally displaced persons.
Modular tents were also set up in schools, gymnasiums, chapels and barangay halls.
Different parts of the province are under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals, with the northernmost areas being badly hit by the typhoon.
Flooding at the Bateria River in Guihulngan City resulted in some houses along the banks being submerged in water.
At times, the province was placed under a red rainfall warning, the highest categorization for extreme and hazardous rainfall.
Some LGUs experienced brownouts following the outage of the Amlan-San Carlos 69kV line, said Michelle Visera of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
Areas affected were those serviced by the electric cooperatives Noreco I (Bais City, Bindoy, Guihulngan City, and Vallehermoso substations) and Noreco II (Tanjay City substation).
Power was restored before noon except for those serviced by the Guihulngan and Vallehermoso substations.
Sedillo said they have not yet received reports of casualties or major incidents.
The Coast Guard also said no untoward incident relative to sea travel was reported in Negros Oriental.
Police in Negros Oriental also said there were no significant crimes reported during the period. (PNA)