CEBU CITY – A 47-year-old woman was killed while her husband and daughter were injured after a coconut tree toppled due to strong winds and fell on their shanty while they were sleeping in Barangay Panalipan, Catmon, Cebu Sunday night.
The fatality was identified as Olivia Poypoy.
Rhee Telen, spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CPDRRMO), said the family had a house in the barangay proper but decided to sleep overnight in their shanty after tending to their farm.
Telen noted there were no storm signals hoisted over Catmon but winds were strong at the time of the incident due to typhoon “Bising.”
No storm signals in some areas in the province were hoisted but the CPDRRMO had been issuing warnings to Cebu to warn the public of the possible effects of the typhoon.
The CPDRRMO has been conducting regular disaster preparedness drills to help protect the public not just from natural hazards but also from human-induced calamities.
"We have to understand the risk in our surroundings. That's why keep on conducting drills because we want to make it a habit," said Telen.
Also last Sunday, two fishermen were also rescued after a boat capsized off Bantayan Island.
At least 360 individuals were stranded after public storm signal No. 1 was raised over Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Tabogon, Borbon, Medellin, and Bogo City as well as in the islands of Camotes and Bantayan.
"The stranded individuals were accommodated in hotels and resorts for free," said Telen.