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Monday, December 11, 2006
Seniang kills 3, forces 66T to leave homes
CEBU CITY -- Although four persons were reported injured, families were evacuated, passengers got stranded, and power was cut off in several places, typhoon Seniang left Cebu relatively unscathed.
Cebu City, in particular, was spared from the effects of the typhoon, which was more felt in northern Cebu.
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The typhoon was cited as reason for the postponement of the Asean summit, which was scheduled to start Monday.
In Santa Fe town, Bantayan Island, a man was slightly injured after a coconut tree slammed on his house in Barangay Maricaban. Arturo Opril was taken to the Bantayan District Hospital.
Bantayan island, composed of the towns of Sta. Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos, is at the northernmost tip of Cebu province.
Bantayan Councilor Marlon Pacaña said a coconut tree fell on two houses in the town, slightly injuring three people.
He said damage to crops was severe, but neither he nor Mayor Geralyn Escario could give any estimate.
The town's disaster and coordinating council personnel were checking.
Escario said that as the typhoon approached, she had people living in the coastal areas temporarily sheltered in the different schools and sports centers.
"I was told that 20 houses were toppled down, but there were no casualties or injuries. The people will be given financial and construction material assistance," she said.
In Madridejos, residents did not feel the typhoon's wrath, but they were nonetheless frightened because it bore the same name of a super typhoon that killed many townsfolk in 1968.
"Na phobia ang mga tawo. Pagkadungog nila nga Seniang ang pangalan sa typhoon nibakwit sila. Kadtong naa duol sa dagat gi safety nila ilang mga motor boat (When the people heard that the typhoon was named Seniang, they fled from their homes. Those living near the sea secured their boats)," said Mayor Letty Mancio in a telephone interview Sunday night.
Mancio said there was not much damage to crops in Madridejos because Seniang struck after the harvest season.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) learned that three Barangay Tarong Elementary School classrooms in Madridejos collapsed, while six electrical posts were felled.
And five houses along the coastline were damaged by the waves. No one, however, was injured because residents safely moved in with relatives before Seniang hit.
Families in some northern Cebu coastal barangays were also evacuated and told to stay with relatives or in evacuation shelters while power was still not restored.
Specifically, Tudela town evacuated 150 individuals who are currently housed at the Tudela Central School, the Immaculate Conception Chapel, and the Tudela Municipal Hall.
PO1 Keith Castro of the OCD told Sun.Star that the house of one Felix George was destroyed while 10 others were damaged.
In Lapu-Lapu City, 393 persons were evacuated by the local disaster coordinating council. The city, though, reported no major damage except for dangling cable wires from electrical posts.
Twenty persons were housed at the Caubian Elementary School, 135 at the Pajo Sports Complex, 115 at the Ibo Elementary School, 89 in Pusok, 14 at the Olango Mini City Hall and 20 at the Mactan National High School.
One house in Daanbantayan was also damaged due to a fallen Cebu Electric Cooperative post.
Seniang was already 90 kilometers northwest of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro at 4 p.m. Sunday.
But before it left, pump boats that were not safely lashed got lost.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that 900 passengers, most of whom headed for Leyte and Bohol, were stranded at Pier 3.
The neighboring provinces, though, did not report much damage.
There was no untoward incident in Bohol, while Oriental Negros merely complained of moderate rains.
Other towns just reported power outages and uprooted banana plants.
As early as dawn Sunday, power was restored in Carmen town. But Catmon town up to the tip of Cebu island still had no electricity as of 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) ordered all policemen to be on standby still in case rescue efforts are needed.
"You are reminded that the full alert status is still in effect. Hence all personnel are expected to be intact at the police station ready for emergency and rescue deployment," CPPO Director Vicente Loot said.
Before the typhoon came, he told his men to alert residents against flashfloods and landslides, and those residing in coastal areas to immediately move to safer grounds.
Police were directed to ready evacuation centers and to ensure all responding agencies were on alert.
The CPPO told all police chiefs to ensure that the designated evacuation centers were well secured.
But aside from evacuating the Badjaos from their shanties near the South Road Properties, the Cebu City Government didn't have to deal with emergencies during typhoon Seniang.
Although waters in rivers and creeks rose, there were no reports of flashfloods, said Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo.
He said there were minor landslides in Barangays Pamutan and Sinsin, but these didn't block roads.
Heavy equipment dispatched to the mountain barangays before the typhoon were on stand by.
"So far, wala may na-report nga naangol. Pasalamat ta nga wala gyuy damage nahitabo sa syudad sa Sugbo (Nobody's injured so far. We are grateful Cebu suffered no damage)," he said.
City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, who was tasked to monitor the city's south barangays, said they brought relief goods to Barangay Toong in case of emergency.
Fermin Pacifico of the City's Department of Public Services (DPS) said the only report they received was about a vehicle that fell into a ditch. But it was not due to the typhoon.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña designated the DPS as command and operations center for City Hall to respond to emergencies caused by the weather disturbance.
Carillo said because the Badjaos live in stilt houses at sea, they were brought to the sports complex of Barangays Sawang Calero and Pasil.
"Pero hinay hinay na nato silang gipapauli (But we're now sending them home)," the councilor said in an interview Sunday afternoon.
Although there was really no request, City Hall also sent potable water to the mountain barangays just in case residents will have no access to drinking water. (MEA/AIV/RHM)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (December 11, 2006 issue)
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