ZAMBOANGA CITY – Some one thousand residents here were forced to evacuate on Thursday evening (Oct. 27) to safer grounds due to heavy rains brought by tropical storm Paeng.
Mayor John Dalipe declared the suspension of classes at all levels for public and private schools on Friday due to heavy rains and rising floodwaters.
Work in city government offices was also suspended as of 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, except for personnel in frontline services tasked to provide assistance to victims.
Dalipe also ordered the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and other concerned offices and barangay officials to attend to the needs of affected families.
Rains battered several villages in Zamboanga’s west coast, sending a thousand residents to evacuation centers.
Most affected barangays include Talisayan, Ayala, and Tulungatung. Families here evacuated to the villages’ covered courts as government personnel moved to provide them with food and necessities.
Several houses near the river bank in Barangay Talisayan were destroyed while huge waves in Barangay Patalon destroyed three beach resorts along the coastline.
Residents along the coastline moved to safer grounds as waves battered the shoreline.
Low-lying villages in the town proper including San Jose Gusu, Tumaga, Tugbungan and several streets in the business district were submerged in flood waters.
Almost all areas experienced power outages as strong winds toppled cable wires.