After Glenda scare Tacloban evacuees back to their homes

CEBU, Philippines -  It was a sunny and warm day in Tacloban City yesterday, after typhoon Glenda's strong winds and heavy rains swept the city on Tuesday and brought fear among residents---in temporary shelters and in coastal areas---with the scary reminder of the typhoon Yolanda devastation last year.

According to Brando Bernadas, officer in charge of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, all the families brought to three evacuation centers in the city at the height of Glenda's fury on Tuesday have returned to their respective homes, after being provided with breakfast yesterday.

Bernadas,citing the good weather, said the evacuees were advised to return to their homes and assured of their safety, as recommended by the Office of Civil Defense.

Early morning of Tuesday, Glenda started to pummel the city with strong winds, which destroyed some shelters in the so-called tent city, the temporary shelter site of homeless Yolanda survivors. Heavy rains followed without stop until evening.

Although the continuous downpour did not cause flooding in the city, the seawater at the coastal barangay of San Jose almost overflowed the seawall structure in the area and caused panic among residents, as well as those in the coastal Magallanes district, prompting them to make a dash to the trucks of the city government.

The LGU trucks were sent to the areas, as early as when the Glenda winds started, to transport all families to the designated evacuation centers. The city government and some non-government organizations have distributed food packs to the evacuees, most of whom were children.

A total of 308 families were brought to the Astrodome, 157 to the Anibong Elementary School and 42 to the Kawayan Elementary School. There were others who rushed to their relatives' houses in safer areas of the city.

Some evacuees who returned to the tent city yesterday found their tent shelters damaged by Glenda's winds. They were forced to build makeshift huts, made of the remaining materials they could gather. Meantime, they are now waiting for better shelters as promised to them by the city government.  (FREEMAN)