ILOILO – A 77-year-old man from Barangay Bagacay, San Rafael town has been reported as the sole casualty in this province due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine last week.
Teofilo Montealto died accidentally while repairing his roof, which was destroyed by the storm’s strong winds, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), headed by retired police colonel Cornelio Salinas.
“He climbed onto his roof because it was blown away, and he was trying to fix it when he fell or slipped, leading to his death,” Salinas told Panay News.
Despite the tragedy, the PDRRMO reported no missing persons but noted substantial damage to homes and livelihoods.
The latest situational report, dated Monday, October 28, tallied the damage at P20,913,159, impacting agriculture, fisheries, and livestock and poultry. This figure is expected to rise as local government units (LGUs) continue to submit their damage reports.
The initial report from the Provincial Agriculture’s Office (PAgrO) broke down the damage as follows:
* rice – P18,676,437.22
* high value crops – P413,001
* fisheries – P1,799,721.80
* livestock and poultry – P24,000
The LGUs that have reported damage include Leon, Alimodian, Bingawan, Batad, Leganes, Barotac Nuevo, Oton, San Miguel, Cabatuan, Anilao, Zarraga, San Dionisio, Dingle, Lemery, Zarraga, and Batad.
Fishing communities also suffered losses, with 13 fishing boats totally destroyed and 79 partially damaged, primarily from the towns of Miag-ao and Carles.
In terms of housing, 86 homes were totally destroyed and 4,641 were partially damaged, with the reports coming from eight LGUs: Leon, San Rafael, Alimodian, Batad, Leganes, San Joaquin, Ajuy, and Calinog.
The breakdown of damaged houses per LGU is as follows:
* Leon – six totally damaged, 167 partially damaged
* San Rafael – 13 totally damaged, 997 partially damaged
* Alimodian – four partially damaged
* Batad – 74 partially damaged
* Calinog – five totally damaged, 72 partially damaged
* San Joaquin – 33 partially damaged
* Leganes – 25 totally damaged, 1,414 partially damaged
* Ajuy – 39 totally damaged, 1,880 partially damaged
Salinas said the partially damaged houses were mostly makeshift and located in coastal or island barangays, making them especially vulnerable to the storm’s impact.
Approximately 40,380 families, or 147,098 individuals, from 22 LGUs were affected by Tropical Storm Kristine (Leon, San Rafael, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Calinog, San Joaquin, Leganes, Ajuy, Batad, Banate, Carles, Concepcion, Dingle, Lambunao, Leganes, Oton, Tubungan, Dumangas, Tigbauan, Maasin, Zarraga, and Barotac Viejo).
Salinas urged residents to stay informed of weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, particularly as another tropical storm enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility./PN
