No death in Albay during ‘Nona’ – Salceda

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — Albay Governor Joey Salceda has declared that no death has been directly caused by Typhoon Nona in his province.

Salceda issued the statement, adding the province has achieved its “zero casualty goal” during Typhoon Nona, which hit parts of the Bicol Region on Monday afternoon.

Salceda said it was a reasonable assessment since there were no reports of deaths after Typhoon Nona landed in Sorsogon at 4 p.m., Monday.

“It is reasonable to declare that our communities together with our partners have achieved our “zero casualty goal during disaster” in the face of strong winds and heavy rainfall from Typhoon Nona,” he said.

The death of 45-year-old, Allan Padilla, who was electrocuted while removing the lighted signage of a salon at 11:40 a.m. on Monday (Dec. 14) along Ziga Avenue, Tabaco City, was not counted as a casualty of the typhoon because it happened hours before the effects of Nona were felt in the province.

Cedric Daep, head of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office earlier said Padilla’s death was considered an “accident” that happened before the typhoon landed.

On Monday morning, in a press briefing, Salceda admitted that they had only three days to prepare for Nona.

Based on information gathered by the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office as of 5 p.m.Monday, 18 local government units have evacuated 120,937 families or 558,811 persons.

“Our people have learned to pray and prepare, and the highest form of prayer is pre-emptive evacuation since it is essentially a community prayer in obedience to God’s command to avoid danger and temptations,” Salceda added.  SFM