ILIGAN CITY – A tornado barreled through 12 zones in this city on Sunday, November 22, spawning a flashflood that left at least 76 houses damaged, and 113 families affected.
Barangay official Butch Gelica said the tornado, which was preceded by intermittent rain an hour before it struck at 4 p.m., wrought havoc in zones located along the river. These were Zones Meteor, Tangke, Army Village, Beverly Hills, Greenhills, Pieces1, Family Village, Riverside, Orchids, Kaugmaran, among others.
And when the dust settled, three houses were totally destroyed, while 24 were partially damaged and 49 inundated with flashflood.
Local resident Lilyfel Manlangit, 31, a resident of Zaone Tangke, said her house was severely damaged after a coconut tree was uprooted and fell on the roof of their house.
"Tama lang na naka-akyat ang asawa ko sa katre bago bumagsak sa gitna ng bahay namin ang puno ng niyog", related Manlangit.
She recounted that things happened fast after that as raging water began to come into their home as Nanucan river burst its banks.
It took alert relatives to come to their aid and rescue her, but her husband decided to stay behind to look after their belongings.
"Natakot ako masyado mam, ini-isip ko iyong asawa ko, tinawag ko... Masaya kami dahil hindi sa gabi nangyayari, marami pa naman kaming mga bata", Lilyfel said.