SHATTERED Shards of glass panes are scattered at the frontage of Immaculate Conception Hospital in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, when strong winds struck the town during heavy rains on Monday. —President Quirino Municipal Government photo
TACURONG CITY, SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines — More than a hundred families were affected, many of whom had to flee their homes, after sudden strong winds destroyed at least 146 houses in a town of South Cotabato and of a municipality in Sultan Kudarat during a heavy downpour on Monday, disaster officials said.
In President Quirino town of Sultan Kudarat, 134 homes were affected, at least a dozen of them completely destroyed, when strong winds the locals called a “freak tornado” swept through the town center around 4 p.m. on Monday, said Jonathan Seballos, chief of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office.
He said on Tuesday that they were still documenting the extent of the damage and the exact number of people affected but among the hardest hit was Barangay Poblacion, where 95 homes were damaged.
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Also destroyed were homes and poultry farms in Barangays Bayawa, Suben, Pedtubo and Malingon while a small Islamic school (madrasah) and a private clinic were damaged, Seballos added.
President Quirino Mayor Katrina Florida Sandigan said they provided initial aid to 136 affected families. Those whose houses were destroyed were temporarily staying in the homes of their relatives and neighbors while the local government tried to help them rebuild their homes, she added.
In Surallah, South Cotabato, a dozen homes were also damaged when strong winds that accompanied the heavy downpour hit the town on Monday afternoon.
Leonardo Ballon, Surallah’s disaster response officer, said the affected homes were in Barangay Colongulo, where several dwellings were hit by fallen trees.
“It appears to be a hurricane, or freak tornado,” said Samuel Solibo, a farmer and resident of Surallah.
He said the sudden strong winds came when the sky suddenly turned dark and the next thing they knew the roofs of neighboring houses were gone.
Ballon said the strong winds that blew away house ceilings came in the midst of a heavy downpour that hit the villages at about 4 p.m. on Monday.
The municipal agriculture office was still assessing the extent of the damage to crops.