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ZAMBOANGA CITY—Huge waves caused by strong winds swept
away or severely damaged the homes of close to 8,000
people residing along the shorelines of this city’s west
coast as well as public infrastructure, and the homeless
are now housed in several evacuation centers or with
relatives.
The
extensive devastation prompted Mayor Celso Lobregat to
declare all the coastal and island barangays in a state
of calamity, and this was backed by resolutions of the
city council and City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC).
Three
people including two children were reported missing in
the adjoining coastal barangays of Rio Hondo and Mariki
after the strong waves hit the coast starting at 5 p.m.,
with the strongest coming at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.
Residents in the coastal barangay of Maasin reported
waves as high as their houses and strong winds around 5
p.m. These waves also collapsed the highway and the
resort cottages along Caragasan beach.
After
the houses started to fall down and wash away panicking
residents who did not expect the waves will strengthen,
they fled carrying only a few belongings, if any at all,
and were forced to spend the night in the streets.
A total
of 1,950 houses were destroyed in 14 barangays. City
Social Welfare Office records showed that barangay
Labuan was the
hardest- hit area with 971 houses destroyed and 4,464
residents rendered homeless.
Classes
were suspended in all affected areas as well as in
public schools in safer areas that were used to house
the evacuees.
Vice
Mayor Jose Manuel Dalipe II, who convened the city
council in an emergency session at 10 p.m. Tuesday, said
the council authorized Lobregat through a resolution to
use whatever amount is needed from 5 percent of the
budget—about P50 million—allocated as calamity fund to
feed and shelter the victims as well as rebuild their
homes.
The
mayor has also ordered the purchase of additional rice
from the National Food Authority, sardines and noodles
for the calamity victims.
The
police and the military Task Force Zamboanga were also
on hand to provide security to the people and to ensure
law and order in the evacuation centers.
Dalipe
said 80 percent of those affected were fishermen.
Lobregat
said the storm surge was an offshoot of Typhoon Mina
that battered Luzon and the Visayas areas the previous
days. He added the tragedy was the first of its kind in
this city based on accounts of old residents.
The huge
waves were so strong that it toppled some concrete
benches at the R.T. Lim Boulevard, as well as concrete
fences and parts of the seawall in some areas.
The R.T.
Road, specifically the lane adjacent to the shore, was
rendered impassable due to seawater flooding. The road
network in some areas in the west coast was also blocked
with debris that included materials of houses damaged by
the gigantic waves. |
