TS ‘Seniang’ Displaces 2,403 Individuals in Caraga

Butuan City– Four of Caraga region’s provinces are placed under Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) number two as Tropical Storm (TS) Seniang enters the region early Monday morning.

Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (RDRRMC) chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Liza Mazo has recorded a total of 623 families or 2,403 individuals who were evacuated in 34 identified evacuation centers of the region, as of 11:30 a.m. today.

Tropical Storm ‘Seniang’ made landfall at 3:45 a.m. at Barangay Bakulin, Hinatuan in the province of Surigao del Sur.

As of reporting time, impassable roads and bridges are reported in the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur and Butuan City. Power outage is also experienced in the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Butuan City.

According to Mazo, different areas of the region are currently experiencing interruption in power and landline connections.

All local DRRMCs have already activated 24/7 their Operation Centers and continue to monitor the weather situation especially in the low lying, flood-prone and landslide-prone areas.

In Butuan City, rescue teams, rescue and heavy equipment are on standby for possible rescue operations.

Also, Agusan del Norte PDRRM officer Erma Suyo reported that PDRRMC chairperson governor Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba has issued an Executive Order No. 42 for the activation of PDRRMC and Incident Command System Incident Management Team on December 28.

Suyo also reported that the municipalities of Jabonga and Carmen have already conducted pre-emptive evacuation to families along riverbanks and flood-prone areas.

In an interview over the Philippine Information Agency’s Advanced Forward Emergency Broadcasting System (PIA AFEBS) Suyo said that as of 7:30 a.m., nine families or 43 individuals from Poblacion Jabonga, 80 families in Nasipit were already evacuated to safer grounds. Forced evacuation is currently ongoing in Brgy. Magsaysay, Jabonga. The local disaster councils are also continuously monitoring and local government units (LGUs) have prepositioned the relief goods.

All roads in the province are passable so far.

The Cabadbaran City Emergency Response Team (CERT) in the province of Agusan del Norte together with the BDRRMC of Brgy. La Union also facilitated the preemptive evacuation of around 20 families with houses built of light materials in Purok 1 due to the threat of flooding and strong winds brought by TS Seniang, Suyo added.

Butuan City mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. also said that there are 149 families that are already evacuated and 3,500 family packs are ready for distribution. “Let’s continue to pray for the safety of our fellow Caraganons. God bless Butuan,” he said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Caraga Regional and Provincial Disaster Operations and Monitoring Center were also activated. Red alert status was raised and Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel and equipment are placed on standby for possible deployment.

Meanwhile, as of 6 a.m. today, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga has 22,000 family food packs now available at the Tiniwisan Warehouse in addition to the 14,852 prepositioned family packs in the strategic areas of each province. Selected workers have been mobilized for the continuing packing of goods with target 30,000 standby family packs.

Butuan City and the province of Agusan del Norte officials have declared suspension of work in both public and private offices except banking, utilities and agencies involved with public safety. (Nora L. Molde, PIA-Caraga)