DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Lucero has assured local government units of back up should they run out of relief goods for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Negros Oriental.
Lucero said family food packs (FPP) have already been prepositioned in some areas in Negros Oriental to immediately respond to calamities.
The agency is validating the number of people needing assistance to guide them in distributing the relief goods.
She said the Dauin LGU has requested 300 FFPs for residents of Apo Island who have been affected by “Kristine”.
“Although only seven houses were damaged on the island, the residents there are considered affected by the typhoon as they thrive on fishing as a main source of income,” Lucero said.
Following the pre-emptive evacuation in Guihulngan City, the internally displaced persons returned to their homes on Thursday after the strong winds and heavy rains subsided, the DSWD-7 said.
A total of 247 individuals were evacuated in Guihulngan City and Bindoy town in Negros Oriental on Wednesday evening due to heavy rainfall caused by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, the police said.
A report from the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) through its spokesperson Lt. Stephen Polinar on Thursday said the evacuees included 60 households in Guihulngan and 53 households in Cabugan, Bindoy.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 7 (DSWD-7) confirmed the evacuation of these individuals.
The local government units provided them with initial relief.
Elsewhere, residents and emergency responders rescued four fishers in Barangay Maloh, Siaton town in Negros Oriental after their motorboats capsized due to stormy weather on Tuesday.
Ronrev Kinilitan, head of the local disaster risk reduction and management office (LDRRMO) of Siaton, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview Wednesday that the fishers were in pairs in two pump boats when they put out to sea Tuesday evening in search for “dalupapa” or giant squid.
Kiniltan said huge waves and strong currents carried them to Barangay Maloh, where their motorboats capsized and were grounded in shallow water about 100 meters from the shore.
The incident took place around 7 p.m. when the town experienced an unexpected power outage.
Residents along the coast witnessed the incident and immediately sought help, Kinilitan said.
“The residents responded first by getting into the water in darkness while waiting for the emergency responders to arrive,” he added.
Kinilitan said all four fishers did not suffer injuries and returned to their respective families in Barangay Giligaon in Siaton.
One of the distressed motorboats with a twin-engine was destroyed while the second one with a single engine suffered minimal damage, he said.
The owner of the motorboats was identified as a certain Achilles Merto from Giligaon.
The rains also caused classes to be suspended in the provinces of Negros Oriental and nearby Siquijor.
Governors Manuel Sagarbarria of Negros Oriental and Jake Vincent Villa of Siquijor issued their respective executive orders late Tuesday evening as Kristine pummeled its way to the Philippines, bringing heavy rains and strong winds and causing massive flooding in northern and central Luzon.
The suspension of classes in both Negros Island Region provinces covered all levels and public and private schools.
The strong rains and winds also caused unscheduled power interruptions due to the tripping of sub-stations of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Michelle Visera, NGCP spokesperson for Negros, told the Philippine News Agency the Mabinay-Bayawan, Bindoy-San Carlos, and Amlan-Siaton 69kV lines tripped and resulted in power interruptions in the majority of the province. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
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Photo Caption: Emergency responders, the police, and residents search for two missing persons in Mabinay and Pamplona towns in Negros Oriental who were carried by flashfloods at the height of the onslaught of Tropical Storm Kristine on Wednesday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office)