MikeLigalig.com

ILOILO CITY -- A total of 496 families have been displaced in Panay island as tropical storm ‘Urduja’ battered the region over the weekend.

In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Jose Roberto Nuñez, chairman of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management 6 (RDRRMC-6) said there are currently 496 families, composed of 2,190 persons, affected in the region.

Out of the 496 families, a total of 256 families were forced to move to evacuation centers due to the continuous flooding.

Specifically, 236 families of the said evacuated families are in the province of Capiz while 20 families are in Tambaliza Island in Concepcion, Iloilo.

The affected families include 295 in Capiz; 174, Concepcion, Iloilo; and 27 in Aklan.

According to Nuñez, the towns of Dumalag, Sigma, Maayon, Pan-ay and Roxas City are currently flooded.

But he assured that all national and provincial roads and bridges in the region are currently “normal and passable.”

He also assured that the local DRRMC of the affected areas are attending to the needs of the displaced families.

As of the moment, Nuñez said that there is zero casualty in the region.

“RDRRMC 6 is currently on red alert status in order to facilitate a coordinated monitoring and response operations in the whole of Western Visayas,” Nuñez said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard-Iloilo (PCG-Iloilo) Commander Lt. Ramil Palabrica said that a total of 1,524 passengers are currently stranded in the different ports and terminals as all boat trips were still canceled in the region, except boats traveling from Iloilo to Guimaras, vice versa.

He said that boat capacity has been reduced to 75 percent to secure the safety of the passengers.

Among the stranded include 847 stranded passengers in Caticlan port going to Boracay island; 355 stranded passengers in Lapuz Port going Bacolod City; 108 stranded passengers in Fort San Pedro Terminal going to Manila, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro; 198 stranded passengers in Dumangas

Port going to Bacolod City; nine stranded passengers in Semirara Wharf; and seven stranded passengers in Libertad wharf in the province of Antique going to Caluya.

Palabrica said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 6 on Sunday morning has provided 40 family food packs for the 108 stranded passengers in Fort San Pedro terminal.

Palabrica said that they cooked the food at the office of PCG that is beside the said terminal and served them to the passengers during lunch.

He added that they have also provided packed breakfast to the passengers this morning as some private groups and individuals donated some food packs.

Palabrica said that the DSWD-6 is continuously conducting an assessment of the different ports and terminals in the region to provide the stranded passengers of their needs.

The trips of the boat will resume once the tropical storm signal will be lifted in the affected areas here, Palabrica said.

Chief Inspector Louie Barrientos, focal person for disaster of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) said that they are also currently on “full alert” status to provide assistance to the public especially to the displaced families in the region.

As of 2 p.m Sunday, Nuñez said that the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo are still under the tropical cyclone signal no.1 based on the state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration.

While Urduja is expected to pass by the vicinity of Boracay island at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nuñez assured that the local DRRMC of Boracay is currently doing all the necessary preparations to secure the safety of the residents.(PNA)

DECEMBER 2017

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