By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY — Typhoon “Ursula” has upended Christmas Day for residents of northern Panay Island and left a trail of destruction and several missing residents.
Residents help each other rescue those who are stranded by floodwaters in President Roxas town, Capiz province on Christmas morning. (Photo courtesy of Capiz Kabalaka Information Center/ MANILA BULLETIN)
“It’s a sad Christmas. The damage is extensive,” said Jose Roberto Nuñez, regional director for Western Visayas of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
“Ursula” made landfall in northern Panay Island past 2 a.m. Wednesday. It dumped heavy rains and wind for six to seven hours.
Nuñez, who is chairperson of the Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), told Manila Bulletin that reports are still coming in from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo provinces.
The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Iloilo PDRRMC) said several people were reported missing in the towns of northern Iloilo province.
Jerry Bionat, PDRRMC executive director, disclosed that at least five of the missing persons belong to one family from Batad town. According to Bionat, they were swept away by water that submerged the farmland as they tried to evacuate to higher grounds.
Dr. Cynthia Cabangal-Ng, chief of the Iloilo Hospital Management Office (HMO), reported that
the district hospital in Balasan town was flooded and glass windows were shattered by the strong winds.
Photos circulating in social media show several areas that were once wrecked by super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013 suffering the same devastation. It included public schools in far-flung Gigantes Island of Carles town.
In Capiz province, extensive damage was reported in almost all of its towns affecting thousands of residents.
“It’s too early to say how many people are affected, but we are more concerned with the people’s safety as floodwaters are rising,” said Judy Grace Pelaez of Capiz PDRRMC.
Pelaez said the town proper of President Roxas was earlier submerged in floodwaters but the water had already subsided. Flood waters are rising in the towns of Sigma, Dao, Cuartero, and Pilar.
In Roxas City, the provincial capital of Capiz had extensive damages both to public and private buildings. A portion of the rooftop of the Capiz Provincial Capitol was blown off, the awning and glass walls of a mall were severely damaged, and a car showroom collapsed and concrete smashed the displayed cars.
Meanwhile, Western Visayas RDRRMC is still consolidating reports from Aklan and Antique provinces.
“It’s very hard to communicate as mobile signal is down. We still do not know what the damage is in these other areas. Some of the local governments are trying to use satellite phones to communicate with us,” Nuñez admitted.
“Right now, what is important is our immediate response programs and to evacuate the affected residents,” Nuñez added.