21 houses destroyed in first-ever tornado to hit Pampanga town
A tornado in Bacolor town in Pampanga on June 22 shattered the glass doors of the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church. | PHOTO: St. Joseph the Worker Parish
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Five houses were destroyed while 16 others were partially damaged around 6 p.m. on Thursday after a tornado hit two villages in Bacolor town in Pampanga, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said Friday.
The tornado, alusus in the Kapampangan language, also fell several electric posts along the stretches of MacArthur Highway in Barangays San Vicente and Cabalantian, leaving cables hanging and causing a brownout.
The NGCP restored power after almost five hours.
Most of the damaged structures, including the St. Joseph Parish Church, were located in Cabalantian, the PDRRMO said.
The church was built by residents who returned after Cabalantian was buried by lahar (volcanic debris) that was washed down by rains from the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo in 1995.
Videos posted by citizens on social media showed the tornado twirling over trees, cutting or bending them, sending roofs flying, crushing glass doors and ripping windows.
Residents in Cabalantian’s Zona Cinco held on to heavy objects so they would not be blown away by strong winds that occurred with heavy rains and thunderstorms.
No one died in the incident, the first of its kind to happen in Bacolor, according to Mayor Eduardo “Diman” Datu. INQ
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