Sunday, May 11, 2008 Tropical storm 'Butchoy' hits Mindanao By Bong Garcia
THE City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) has flashed an alarm and alerted all residents in the coastal and low-lying areas against the occurrence of tidal waves and flashfloods amid the heavy downpour.
The alarm came after the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) has issued a weather bulletin about the active low pressure area (Alpa) that has intensified into tropical storm "Butchoy".
"Butchoy" was monitored Wednesday at 510 kilometers east of Mindanao with a maximum wind of 63 kilometers per hour near the center.
With west-north-west movement, the storm is expected to be at 530 kilometers east of Northern Mindanao by Saturday.
Tropical storm "Butchoy" is expected to induce the southwest monsoon and bring rains over Visayas and Mindanao. The heavy downpour may trigger flashfloods and landslides in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes.
CDCC chairman Mayor Celso Lobregat said although Zamboanga City is on the south-western part of Mindanao “(but) we need to inform all the residents" for them to be on alert.
After "Butchoy" was monitored Wednesday and the CDCC sounded the alarm, two houses made of light materials along the San Roque river bank were swept away by strong current when the water suddenly swelled.
San Roque Village Chief Allen Feliciano disclosed that two families numbering to nine persons were displaced. All their belongings were gone when the current swept away their houses Wednesday evening.
"They are now staying with the relatives staying on higher grounds," Feliciano disclosed Friday citing no one was hurt during the incident.
She said City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Office headed by Francisco Barredo have given relief assistance, especially food, to the affected families.
Aside from the two houses, Feliciano disclosed the strong current also destroyed the slope protection at Zone 5 in her village.
