Waterspout damages 38 houses in Polomolok

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—Thirty eight houses were damaged when a waterspout swept through Barangay Cannery, a coastal village in the municipality of Polomolok, South Cotabato, Friday afternoon.

Cannery village chair Antonio Octavio told reporters on Saturday that no casualties had been reported so far.

Octavio said it was the first tine a waterspout touched down on Cannery, which got its name for being the host of pineapple giant Dole Philippines’ canning facilities.

“As far as I can remember, Cannery has never been hit by a similar weather disturbance. This is the first time that we experienced such a disaster,” Octavio said.

He said about 140 families were affected by the waterspout and were now being assisted by various government relief agencies.

Octavio said an initial assessment conducted by the Barangay Risk Reduction Management Council estimated the damage left by the waterspout at about P600,000.

A waterspout is a tornado that forms at sea or some other body of water. It sucks up a large volume of water enough to cause a serious flash flood on land where it touches down.