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Iloilo, Capiz families evacuate amid ‘Marce’ ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Heavy rains and floods caused by tropical storm “Marce” displaced hundreds of families in Iloilo and Capiz provinces.
From a tropical depression, “Marce” intensified into a tropical storm on Friday. Iloilo, Capiz and the rest of Panay Island were placed under storm signal No. 2 but this was lifted by around 5 p.m.
Around 200 families from Dumalag, Ivisan, Sigma, Panay, and Dao towns and Roxas City in Capiz were preemptively evacuated as early as Thursday, said Paul Nogra, Operation Section chief of the Office of Civil Defense Region 6.
No vehicle was able to pass by a river “overflow” connecting barangays Santo Niño and Santo Angel in Roxas City and another one in Buslog-Lawaan in Dumarao, Norga said.
In Iloilo, more than 145 families from San Enrique, San Dionisio, Lambunao, Anilao, Calinog, Dueñas, and Janiuay towns and the component city of Passi were evacuated, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said.
Most of the families were from Dueñas (42), Calinog and Passi City (39 each), and San Enrique (20), said the PDRRMO.
In San Enrique, strong winds partially damaged two houses in Barangay Paga, while two missing persons in Barangay Odiongan were rescued.
In Lambunao, a hanging footbridge in Barangay Sagcup was damaged, while three overflows in Barangay Panuran were impassable.
In Calinog, the level of Jalaur River reached a “critical level” around 11:45 a.m., forcing 39 families to evacuate.
Damage to crops like rice, corn, banana, and root crops were reported in Banate, Batad, Mina, and Balasan, while a landslide destroyed a house in Barangay Quipot, Janiuay, according to the OCD.
Nogra said they are coordinating with local disaster management councils to ensure the evacuees are given aid. The OCD, also the head of the regional council, continues to monitor on-the-ground situations.
BOATS DESTROYED
In northern Iloilo, around 60 fishing boats were either capsized or damaged, according to Philippine Coast Guard station commander Ramil Palabrica.
All the boats were docked at the shores, Palabrica clarified. Eight were in Carles, 46 in Estancia and six in Concepcion. “Tungod sa [dalagko nga mga] balod, nagkalaguba ang mga boats,” he said.
As of 7 p.m. on Friday “Marce” was near Coron, Palawan, according to the state weather bureau Pagasa. It packs maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.
Signal No. 2 was hoisted over Calamian group of islands, while signal No. 1 was over Occidental Mindoro and northern Palawan, including Cuyo Island.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 6 provided relief goods to affected Iloilo and Capiz residents.
It released a total of 1,620 family food packs (1,120 for Capiz and 500 for Passi City, Iloilo), according to Delia Villa-Bagolcol, assistant regional director for operations.
Bagolcol assured the agency has enough food packs for distribution if necessary. “We have 36,000 family food packs in our stockpile,” she said, adding that their Quick Response Team is on “full alert.”
NO CLASSES
In Iloilo City, classes in preschool, elementary, and junior and senior high school in public and private schools remained suspended on Friday. Suspensions started on Thursday.
Iloilo governor Arthur Defensor Sr. also issued on Friday an executive order suspending classes in all levels in preschool, elementary and high school in all public and private schools in the province./PN
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