Whirlwind in Leyte town damages houses, gymnasium, store

Leyte map. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY — At least three houses, a municipal gymnasium, and a sari-sari store were damaged by a whirlwind in Hilongos town, Leyte at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

“The roofs of these structures were blown away due to the tornado,” said Melvin Flordelis of the Hilongos Emergency Rescue Unit (Heru) in a phone interview.

The tornado hit the villages of Western, Eastern, and Central which were all located within the town proper at about 7 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

Flordelis said the local government is still assessing the extent of the damage.

Prior to the incident, he said the town’s weather was fair though heavy rains were experienced in the morning due to Habagat.

According to the witnesses, the tornado was first noticed in Barangay Western, hitting its nearby villages of Eastern and Central.

“It lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes,” Flordelis said.

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