Satellite weather image courtesy of PAGASA-Butuan
BUTUAN CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard in the Caraga Region has lifted its temporary suspension of sea travel in the area early Tuesday morning.
This came after the 4:30 a.m. advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration cited that Tropical Storm (TS) Kabayan continued to weaken and reduced to a low pressure area (LPA) some 290 kilometers southwest of Zamboanga City.
The weather bureau said Caraga will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers due to the LPA and shearline.
The onslaught of Kabayan in the region on Monday affected some 42,739 families or 156,555 individuals from 129 barangays in Surigao del Sur, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
“Of the total number, 12,523 families or 42,977 individuals evacuated from their homes and stayed temporarily in designated evacuation centers,” the PDRRMO Surigao del Sur said in the report.
The weather disturbance also damaged some 146 houses in the province, five of which were considered totally damaged, with an overall cost of PHP930,000.
Meanwhile, the PDRRMO in Dinagat Islands reported that 461 families or 1,475 individuals from 28 barangays were also affected by Kabayan on Monday.
Seventy-nine families or 255 individuals were also forced to abandon their abodes to seek temporary shelters in 18 evacuation centers in the area.
As of press time, no casualties were reported in the region due to the devastation caused by Kabayan.
Minimal damage in Northern Mindanao
This developed as no major incidents were recorded in the Northern Mindanao region in the aftermath of Kabayan which weakened to an LPA on its path.
Reports consolidated by the Office of the Civil Defense-Northern Mindanao (OCD-10) on Tuesday listed 139 families or 521 individuals evacuated to centers as part of preemptive measures by their respective local government units.
The province of Misamis Occidental has evacuated the most number of families with 87 families or 315 individuals from the municipality of Lopez Jaena.
In Lanao del Norte, only a 12-year-old boy was reported injured in Magsaysay town after he was hit by an uprooted tree and rushed to a community hospital in Tubod town.
The OCD-10 also recorded two partially damaged houses in Sagay town, Camiguin and Alubijid town in Misamis Oriental.
In San Fernando town, Bukidnon, a cow worth PHP40,000 perished.
All seaports in the region also lifted the suspension of voyages as its weather advisory has been downgraded to white alert status. (PNA)
