DAVAO CITY – Severe tropical storm Vinta left Davao Region, including Compostela Valley Province with minimal damages reported as clearing of debris begins in some affected areas.
In an emergency meeting Friday called by Governor Nelson Dayanghirang for post assessment, the provincial governor was thankful Vinta left without casualty. However, two fishermen were reported missing in San Isidro town.
Two houses were reported totally damaged in two barangays of Cateel while roofs of some houses in Baganga town were blown away when Vinta hit the east coast.
Karen Deloso, provincial information officer said some of the 3,379 individuals who were evacuated to different evacuation centers since Thursday afternoon chose to remain as of Friday afternoon.
From the emergency meeting, Deloso said a total of 3,379 individuals living near coastlines and other flood and landslide-prone areas were moved to safer grounds.
According to Deloso, power lines were restored in some parts of the province. She said the power distributor in the province promised to restore transmission lines to Baganga, Cateel, Caraga, and Boston which are still experiencing power outage.
Deloso said the search and rescue for the two reported missing fishermen are ongoing.
Deloso added that Governor Dayanghirang has already ordered a Rapid Damage Assessment Needs Analysis (RDANA) as key offices and agencies were mobilized Friday morning to do an ocular assessment on the affected areas to identify urgent needs of the communities.
A force evacuation of residents was ordered in Barangay Aragon in Cateel and the neighboring villages of San Alfonso and Baybay for fear of an overflow of the Aragon dam even if the water level has returned to normal level as of 7 a.m Friday, Deloso said.
In Compostela Valley, evacuated individuals already reached 5,086 in 37 evacuation centers. Clearing operations of storm debris in major roads and highways are ongoing.
In Davao Occidental, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (PDRRMO) Harry Camoro reported that the families living in coastal areas who were evacuated on Thursday have already returned home.
Meanwhile, Davao City DRRMO ordered the residents near the Lasang River to evacuate after the water reached its critical level. The Davao River, Bunawan and Lipadas rivers are closely monitored by the disaster teams.
Chief Information Officer Jefry Tupas said all barangay-based DRRM units along the Davao River were advised to sound the sirens to signal preemptive evacuation.
Tupas said the rise of water level of Davao rivers was caused by heavy rainfall run-off to tributaries from the upland areas. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
