AFTERMATH. Surigao City rescue personnel conduct clearing operations of debris left by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng on Saturday (Oct. 29, 2022). A total of 170 families in Surigao City and 55 in Dinagat Islands sought refuge in evacuation centers the night before. (Courtesy of Surigao City-PIO)
BUTUAN CITY – Local government units (LGUs) in the Caraga Region have implemented forced evacuation of residents in low-lying areas on Friday due to the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.
While the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and the northern portions of Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Norte were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 on Friday, no province in Mindanao has TCWS raised as of Saturday afternoon.
Classes were also suspended by the LGUs on Friday to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and parents.
Data provided by the Surigao City Public Information Office on Saturday said 170 families or 1,132 individuals from five villages were evacuated on Friday.
They were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers in the villages of Canlanipa, Cagniog, Luna, Lipata, and Taft but most have already returned home as of posting time.
“Upon the orders of Surigao City Mayor Paul Dumlao, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) immediately provided food packs to the affected residents temporarily housed in evacuation centers,” a statement said.
The CSWDO distributed PHP57,204 worth of food packs.
Paeng likewise stranded around 344 passengers and 157 rolling cargoes since Friday morning at Lipata Port in Surigao City.
Trips to the Visayas are still suspended as some areas are still under TCWS No. 2.
Only the travels of over 150 gross tonnage vessels and watercrafts from Surigao City to Dinagat Islands and vice versa have resumed on Saturday, an advisory read.
In Dinagat Islands, data from the information office said 55 families or 163 individuals were evacuated from the low-lying areas in 10 villages in the towns of Cagdianao and San Jose.
Meanwhile, the LGU of Loreto in Dinagat Islands reported the rescue of Joshua Alcantara, a fisherman from Barangay Sodmon, Silago, Southern Leyte.
Alcantara, onboard his yellow-green pump boat, was reported missing on October 27.
He was rescued by residents of Gibusong Island of the same town. (PNA)
