SEVEN people were hurt while a total of 13 houses, a school building and some infrastructure were damaged when a tornado hit two villages in the agricultural town of Magalang, Pampanga, a few minutes before 1 p.m. on Monday, July 29.
Municipal administrator Lyndon Cunanan said three families in Barangay San Nicolas 2 and some 1,000 high school and elementary students at the Magalang Institute were affected by the tornado.
Five students and two others sustained minor injuries after they were hit by falling debris, reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said.
The victims were identified as Nicole Patricio Alerto, 15, Joshua Benedict Simbulan, 14, Mark Angleo Cuetiar, 13, Chelsea Carbungco Ochoa, 14, Jhayssana Licca Mallari, 14, all are students of Magalang Institute; and Maribeth Miranda, 60, and Flordeliza Quillonio, 35.
They were immediately taken to the A.L. District Hospital for proper treatment, and were sent home afterwards.
“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured or killed among our kabalen,” Cunanan said.
Aside from injured victims, several infrastructures including the school buildings at the Magalang Institute and eight residential houses in Barangay San Nicolas II, and five residential houses, one warehouse and a concrete fence in Barangay Sta. Cruz, were damaged by the tornado, PDRRMO said.
Mayor Romy Pecson convened the Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) and called for an emergency meeting Tuesday to assess the damage to crops and infrastructure, according to Cunanan.
Cunanan said the local government provided assistance, including relief goods, to the affected families.
The management of Magalang Institute suspended classes Tuesday to give way for a clearing operation.
Some residents and students were able to film the onslaught of the tornado using their gadgets and cellphones and posted it on social media.
Cunanan said schools in other parts of the town conducted regular classes Tuesday despite continuous rains.