Visayas, Mindanao show wide impact of Kristine

LEFT POWERLESS A lineman of Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. (Laneco),which provides electricity to about 400 barangays in the province, helps clear the roads on Friday following Kristine’s onslaught last week. Many towns in the province still had no power as of Saturday. —Photo courtesy of LANECO

BACOLOD CITY (Negros Occidental)/ILIGAN CITY (Lanao del Norte), Philippines — Apart from its devastation in Luzon, Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) also battered parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, making it one of the weather events with the most widespread impact on record.

The storm which entered the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday and left on Friday, spanned a radius of 850 kilometers as it crossed the archipelago, affecting much of the main northern island of Luzon as well as Palawan, Western Visayas and Iligan City and other parts of central and southwestern Mindanao.

READ: Kristine accelerates, maintains strength outside PAR

In Negros Occidental, its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported damage to rice crops, aquaculture and livestock at an estimated P4.2 million as of Friday, with the storm affecting 206 farmers in 10 localities.

In the municipalities of Valladolid, Pontevedra and Pulupandan, as well as in cities Bago and La Carlota, 1,329 farm animals valued at P419,578 died in the onslaught of the storm.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) reported that 37,873 individuals from 9,456 families were affected by Kristine.

The agency said 4,196 individuals from 1,207 families took shelter in evacuation centers while 1,016 persons from 275 families relocated to the homes of relatives and friends.

Some 20 homes were destroyed while 149 others sustained considerable damage, DSWD-6 said.

The agency has so far disbursed P839,735.28 in cash and other assistance, while the local governments contributed food packs worth P850,963.

Help from Eastern Visayas

Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition has appealed to organizers of Halloween events to plan for a simple celebration following the devastation left by Kristine.

“The money not spent for buying Halloween decorations, costumes, toys, and treats and for holding parades and parties can be shared [with] church, civic and media groups providing rapid aid to survivors in need,” said Aileen Lucero, the group’s national coordinator.

Meanwhile, at least 150 police officers and 43 other government personnel from Eastern Visayas, a region familiar with calamity but spared from Kristine’s onslaught, were deployed to the Bicol region to help the affected residents there.

Power failure

“The Philippine National Police, as a member agency of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, reaffirms its commitment to providing assistance during these challenging times,” said Brig. Gen. Jay Cumigad, police regional director of Eastern Visayas.

In Iligan City, strong winds and sustained rains brought by Kristine toppled trees over power lines, blocking roads and causing brownouts beginning Thursday.

A 27-year-old farmer and his 9-year-old son were electrocuted on Thursday noon after coming into contact with a high-tension wire.

More power lines were downed on Friday afternoon as strong winds swept through the city and its hinterland villages, said Dionisio Tano, maintenance manager of Iligan Light and Power Inc.

He said the company’s line workers on Saturday were fixing power lines to restore electricity in the villages of Hindang, Kabacsanan, Tipanoy and Fatima area.

Also on Saturday, personnel of the Iligan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office were clearing debris on the national highway and other major roads.

The agency was assisted by troops of the Army’s 503rd Combat Engineering Battalion, volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross, personnel of the City Engineering Office and various barangay disaster response teams.

Many towns in Lanao del Norte province also still had no power as of Saturday. —with reports from Ruchelle Denice Demaisip, Joey Gabieta, Carla Gomez, Leo Udtohan and Richel Umel