Eastern Samar not spared by Kristine

WATERWORLD IN CATUBIG Rains dumped by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami) have flooded several areas in Eastern Visayas region, including the town of Catubig in Northern Samar, as shown in this photo taken on Wednesday. —PHOTO COURTESY OF CATUBIG LOCAL GOVERNMENT

TACLOBAN CITY—At least 11 towns in Eastern Samar province and its capital city of Borongan were placed under a state of calamity on Thursday due to the widespread damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami).

The declaration of the provincial board allows the towns of Maydolong, San Julian, Sulat, Taft, Can-avid, Dolores, Oras, San Policarpo, Arteche, Maslog and Jipapad and Borongan City to access their calamity funds to procure the needed supplies for affected households.

At least 6,791 families (34,488 people) in these areas have been affected by the storm whose rain band also covered parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, government reports showed.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said flooding was reported in several areas with water levels reaching between 1.82 and 2.13 meters (6 and 7 feet) in all 13 villages of Jipapad. Floodwater in six barangays of Arteche was from 2 to 5 m (6.56 to 16.4 feet) and 2 m (6.56 feet) in four villages of Can-avid.

Rice fields in Jipapad were also submerged and severely damaged, reports said.

Power supply has yet to be restored in some areas in Eastern Samar.

The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative, in coordination with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), started clearing operations on Thursday to restore power to storm-hit areas.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Eastern Visayas was also assisting other communities in the region, aside from Eastern Samar, who were also hit by floods and landslides triggered by Kristine’s rains.

The DSWD said 127,107 families, or 486,312 people, in the region were affected by the weather disturbance.

Meanwhile, at least 13 fishermen were rescued in the waters off Tagapul-an, Samar, after their boats were battered by strong winds and heavy rains as Kristine was heading to mainland Luzon on Tuesday.

A report from the Tagapul-an police station said one of the rescued fishermen was from Cataingan, Masbate, while the rest were from Tabango, Leyte.

Twelve other fishermen from Tabango were rescued along the shorelines of Barangay Guinbarucan in the same town on Thursday.

Other areas in the Visayas

In Negros Occidental, crop losses in the province attributed to the storm were pegged at P1,026,046; fisheries at P575,930; and livestock, P131, 564, reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of Thursday showed.

In Cebu, the cargo vessel LCT Golden Bellawas ran aground in Minglanilla town due to rough seas and a rising tide, according to Ensign Abel Lomboy of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District-Central Visayas.

The ship was 100 m from the shore of Sitio Noah, Barangay Calajoan, and had no cargo on board when the incident occurred. Lomboy said no crew members were hurt during the incident.

The PCG said it was planning to send divers for a hull inspection to check for damage and prevent a potential oil spill. —WITH REPORTS FROM CARLA GOMEZ AND NESTLE SEMILLA-DAKAY