19 injured as tornadoes hit 7 villages in Bacolod, Negros Occidental
NINETEEN persons were injured while 49 houses were hit as tornadoes struck seven villages in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental on Thursday and Friday nights.
Following a thunderstorm around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16, strong winds hit 13 houses, destroying four and damaging nine others, at Purok Cosmos, Barangay Calumangan, Bago City, according to a report of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Seven persons were injured while 14 families were affected.
Still in Bago the night before, a tornado ripped through three sub-villages of Barangay Sagasa and another in Barangay Caridad around 7:30 p.m.
In Sagasa, nine houses were destroyed while four were damaged, affecting 46 individuals.
Ten residents of Sagasa were injured, including Dima Alabado, 37; Nelsie Cortez, 29; Edcin Coriento, 31; Herman Maloto, 62; Allan Maloto, 44; Leonila Maloto, 44; Larie Alabado, 45; Judy Maguad, 46; and two female minors aged six and 12.
An estimated P74,520 worth of damage to a rice plantation was also reported in Sagasa, affecting six farmers.
In Caridad, two houses were destroyed while two others were damaged. These were occupied by 24 individuals.
At past 7 p.m. in Valladolid town on Thursday, police said the tornado damaged three houses in Barangay Guintorilan and five others in Barangay Batuan. The poultry farm of Ayungon village chief Enrico de la Gracia was also damaged.
In Guintorilan, a woman and her 15-year-old niece were also injured.
Mayor Enrique Miravalles said the municipal government extended assistance to the affected families.
In Bacolod City, a whirlwind was reported around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, hitting 10 houses in the coastal sub-villages of Tahong and Lampirong in Barangay 2, according to the report of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Nine houses were damaged while one was destroyed, but no injury was reported.
Jose Maria Vargas, head of CDRRMO, said they received the report about the incident only Friday morning.
The roofs of the houses made of nipa were damaged by strong winds, Vargas said.
Assistance
The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental extended relief assistance to the affected families in Bago City and Valladolid.
Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) head Elena Serenias on Friday led the distribution of food packs containing rice, sardines and noodles to the affected barangays.
She said the PSWDO is still validating the number of affected families and the extent of damage to the two localities.
The Provincial Government is expected to extend financial assistance of P5,000 to those whose houses were destroyed and P3,000 for those whose houses were damaged. (With reports from MPE)