They may have lost their homes.
But life goes on for buhawi (tornado) victims in Talisay City and Minglanilla town.
It was double celebration for the Tampus family in sitio Libo, barangay Mojon in Talisay City yesterday.
Aside from the 2nd birthday of their grandson Joshua, they celebrated surviving the buhawi last tuesday.
“Ang among pagkaluwas gikan sa buhawi mao ang labing maanindot nga birthday gift sa akong anak. Ikaduha na ni namong kinabuhi. Nagpasalamat mi sa Ginoo. [Being able to survive from the tornado is the best birthday gift for my son. We were given another chance to live. We are grateful to the Lord],” said the boy’s mother Amelyn Tampus.
The family yesterday butchered two chickens for their simple birthday cum thanksgiving feast.
Like other residents whose houses were razed to the ground by the buhawi, they also received rice and canned goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
They are expecting a P10,000 cash assistance from the Talisay City government.
A total of eight houses were damaged, while three persons suffered minor injuries when the buhawi struch barangay Mohon in Talisay City, said Mayor Socrates Fernandez.
Three persons sustained minor injuries.
The mayor, however, did not see the need to declare a state of calamity since the damage was not severe and widespread.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) documented 76 houses damaged by the buhawi.
Minglanilla town has the most damage with 68 houses and a school partially damaged.
Of the 68 houses, DECA Homes in barangay Tungkil has the highest damage with 60 houses. Sitio San Pedro in barangay Calajoan has four houses damaged and another four in Villa Feliza of barangay Tungkil.
Neil Angelo R. Sanchez, chief of PDRRMC told Cebu Daily News that they are encouraging the local government units (LGU) to use their calamity fund to help the affected residents recover from the disaster.
He said that the LGUs will provide the relief needs of the victims for the first two days. On the third day, the province will extend relief assistance to the victims.
Aside from food, the victims’ immediate needs include construction materials.
Three people that were brought to Talisay District Hospital for treatment yesterday namely Marichu Pantano, Leticia Labadan and Rosie Sedentario.
Sandy Enad, head of the Minglanilla Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said they will develop early warning systems to alert residents, especially those living in the coastal areas. /with reports from Carine M. Asutilla