Tornado hits Bohol; 85 houses, boats destroyed

AT least  85 houses were destroyed in the wake of a tornado that struck four barangays in Jagna, Bohol at 11 a.m. last Friday.

The tornado struck  barangays Can-upao, Bunga Mar, Cantagay and Ipil while a heavy downpour was taking place, according to the Jagna Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“The residents said they felt their houses shake.  In one house, the  kitchen got pulled out and  landed in the  sala. The residents got out of their homes and ran away,” said council staffer Vicente Orias.

Orias said some residents described seeing a  black funnel of air in the sky which later spun towards the ground.

Several houses made of nipa were uprooted, Orias said.

The roofs of some houses, including those made of galvanized aluminum  sheets, were blown away.

“It looked like the roofs were cut open by the wind,” Orias said.

Pag-asa Mactan weather specialist Boy Artiaga said the tornado occurred due to the presence of the southwest monsoon winds and  the low pressure area in the eastern part of the Visayas.

Barangay Can-upao was hardest hit with 43 destroyed or damaged houses, followed by Bunga Mar with 39 houses, two in Cantagay and one in Ipil.

No one was reported injured, Orias said.

The affected families transferred to houses of their relatives or  neighbors.

Bohol provincial police  said property damage was  estimated at P800,000.

The tornado also damaged 13 pumpboats worth P300,000, a sari-sari store and fruit-bearing trees worth P200,000.

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto, Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim and social welfare personnel went to the affected areas to distribute rice, noodles, and canned goods.