Queenie brought ‘wind wave’, not ‘storm surge’

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, has clarified that it was a “wind wave” and not a storm surge that hit parts of the Visayas during the onslaught of tropical depression “Queenie” Thursday.

PAGASA Mactan Officer-in-charge Al Quiblat explained they could not categorize the rise of waves felt in some barangays in southern Cebu and in some coastal barangays in Bohol as a storm surge because they could only do so when the weather disturbance is categorized as a typhoon.

In Cebu, Barangay Langtad in Argao reportedly experienced a ‘storm surge’ that destroyed several houses and properties.

Queenie was categorized as a tropical depression when it entered Central Visayas with maximum winds of 55 km per hour near the center. It intensified into a tropical storm when it moved to the West Philippine Sea with maximum winds of 65 km per hour.

Quiblat explained that they could only call the abnormal rise of the waves as a storm surge when the weather disturbance has maximum winds of 118 km per hour.

The term “storm surge” was popularized when super typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in the Visayas over a year ago. The typhoon had maximum winds of 195 km per hour.

Meanwhile, PAGASA noted a low pressure area within the Philippine Area of Responsibility with a distance of 1,000 kilometers east of Mindanao. It clarified, however, that there is a slight possibility that this would develop into a typhoon.

STATE OF CALAMITY

The Provincial Board has yet to place affected towns in Southern Cebu under state of calamity.

“I will ask the PB for declaration for state of calamity over the areas affected para makagamit ta sa atong DRRM  (Disaster Risk Reduction Management) funds, because there are municipalities that need assistance from the province kay daghan kaayong nadaot nga balay,” said Governor Hilario Davide III yesterday.

The province currently has P99 million remaining DRRM funds, as reported by Provincial Budget Officer Danilo Rodas. Of this amount, at least P30 million is intended for disaster response.

Davide added that the province has already deployed its water truck to areas in southern Cebu where water has been reported scarce like in Malabuyoc town where the water system was damaged.

The province is also eyeing to rent additional water trucks to cater to other affected towns.

“Kay usa ra man atong water truck so we are looking for additional water trucks para sa Dalaguete, Alegria and Boljoon,” Davide said.

He further urged the local government units to check their drainage system because “I’m sure clogged up na diha.”

He added that tropical depression Queenie should also serve as a lesson for LGUs to strengthen their disaster preparedness.

Only one fatality was reported in the province identified as Alona Baldado, 49, of Malabuyoc. Feleciano Looc, 45, of Oslob was reported missing.

Three families or people in Sibonga and six families or 30 persons in Oslob sought went to higher ground Thursday due to high water level but all have returned to their houses yesterday.

Three houses in Ginatilan, Cebu were partially damaged.

In a separate interview, Provincial Engineer Hector Jamora said his office is now planning to upgrade the pipes since most are installed in flood-prone areas.

“But it takes millions of pesos to rehabilitate na, atong i-upgrade ang pipes. Among gipaninguha nga mausab ang design,” he said during the Kapistorya forum yesterday.

The Provincial Engineer and PDRRMO went to the affected towns yesterday to conduct assessment. Tribunalo said data are still being collated.

MOST AFFECTED

The tropical depression left the region with Bohol considered as worst-hit, considering the number of towns affected.

Office of the Civil Defense-7 civil defense officer Allen Froilan Cabaron cited the towns of Duero, Mabini, Jagna, Guindulman, Ubay, Garcia, and Hernandez, all along the coast.

According to the Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response (TARSIER), 110 houses in Bohol were destroyed while 875 houses were partially damaged.

Based on the latest report of OCD-7, tropical depression Queenie left two people dead, namely Cesario dela Cerna, 59, of Jagna and Pachico Galope Jr., 30, of Guindulman.

Two people, Adrian Sagrado, 25, and Robinson Cebellos, 32, were also reported missing in Jagna, Bohol since last Wednesday.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Army are still conducting search and rescue operations.

Residents of Jagna, Bohol namely Bonifacio Acha, 38, and Esmeraldo Sajol, 54, were reported injured.

Out of the 922 families or 4, 610 residents in Jagna, Bohol who evacuated their houses, only four families are still staying in evacuation centers.

A total of 142 motorized bancas were destroyed while 49 fishing boats were partially damaged in the towns of Loay and Jagna.

NEGROS ORIENTAL

Three fishermen from Manjuyod, Negros Oriental who were only identified as Michael, Joker, and May-May were reported missing after they were caught by big waves and winds. Their companion, Rogen Amarante, survived after another fisherman, Baludoy Sayre from Zamboanguita, rescued him.

Three other persons were reported missing in Negros Oriental namely Sunny Boy Deguitos, a security guard from Ayungon; Honeylen Andales of Tayasan; and the latter’s daughter Jay-an.

There were also 18 families or 90 individuals in Tayasan who are still at evacuation centers, while 100 families or 500 persons who evacuated last Thursday have already returned to their houses. Seven houses in the town were reported destroyed.

All the major roads and bridges in the province are passable by four-wheeled vehicles except for the Tampocon Bridge Detour in Ayungon town. Cabaron said only motorcycles and people can pass through the bridge.

Cabaron said they are still collating data and are still conducting the rapid damage assessment.

He said those who usually die and go missing during typhoons are those who did not take precautionary measures. He said that preventive evacuation should be executed long before the weather becomes damaging.

“For the fishermen, although kinahanglan ta og pagkaon adlaw-adlaw, tagaan nato og dakong pagtagad ang kinabuhi sa tawo tungod kay delikado. For so many times, gipahibawo nato sila na delikado,” he said.

He said he also wants those who live in areas highly-susceptible to floods and landslide to have their own transistor radios to get updates on the situation.

Cabaron reminds the public further that they should have learned from previous calamities such as the super typhoon Yolanda.

“Dili ta angay mahadlok lang sa bagyo. Bisa’g way bagyo, basta naay panganod, posible naay uwan, ug kun dunay uwan posible naay landslide or baha. Extremes na karon ang weather situations. This is the new norm,” he stated. — Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento, Decemay Padilla/JMO