DUMAGUETE CITY—Victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong” in this city have begun to rebuild their homes right next to the river.
Two houses are now standing on the same spot at the Banica River dike where six hovels were washed away during a flash flood in Barangay 8 on Dec. 16.
“They rebuilt their huts immediately for fear they’d be barred from returning to the area,” a man who refused to be identified told the Inquirer.
Mud and garbage still abound in this riverside community that was totally inundated by water about ten meters high from the mountains, sweeping many things in its path. Luckily, there were no casualties.
Warning
“We warned our neighbors of the potential danger and I stayed up all night that Friday to watch for floods in the river,” said Nida Dagoy, 36, a village watchman. By morning, some residents headed for higher ground.
Dagoy, whose own hut was one of the six that were washed away, said she was standing on the river dike Saturday morning when she noticed the water swirling. “The next thing I saw was this wall of water. I and the other people who were standing on the dike jumped to safety,” she said, escaping with only her clothes on her back.
Dagoy was assigned to cook for the flood victims in a makeshift kitchen beside the barangay hall. “Our kitchen is open to anyone who wants to eat,” she said. Most of those who come to eat are men who are rebuilding their homes.
The evacuees also got visits from city health personnel, who gave tetanus shots for those who suffered cuts.
For Dagoy, the tragedy has brought them closer as a community. “We help one another, like we always do, as the task of rebuilding our community will take a long time.”
The death toll stood at 37 with 5 missing throughout Negros Oriental. The storm affected 12,260 families, destroyed 1,036 houses and damaged 3,309 houses.
The damage to infrastructure rose to P694.4 million.
Affected were the cities of Dumaguete and Tanjay, and the towns of Amlan, Bacong, Mabinay, Pamplona, San Jose, Sibulan, Valencia and Siaton towns.
Assistance
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said around P9.8 million was given in assistance to the victims.
Negros Oriental Rep. George Arnaiz said said Valencia was the worst-hit with 15 dead and impassable roads, especially those leading to the geothermal plant that supplies power to Negros and Panay.
He said there was not much illegal logging in Valencia, but the neighboring areas of Sta. Catalina, Siaton and Sibulan were denuded. With a report from Carla Gomez