13,000 residents affected by Typhoon Ineng in Cagayan

CAGAYAN, Philippines – Thousands of people in Cagayan have been affected by Typhoon Ineng which battered the  provinces with strong winds and heavy rains, a provincial official said.

Bonifacio Cuarteros, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC)-Cagayan, said that around 13,450 residents have been affected by the typhoon.

At least 9 towns were affected, most of them near the shoreline, Cuarteros said. (READ: Ineng weakens, Batanes islands still under Signal No. 3)

Although some residents have returned to their houses early Saturday, August 22, he said 1,453 residents from the towns of Gonzaga, Claveria, Calayan Island, Santa Ana, Santa Teresita, and Piat had evacuated at the height of the typhoon.

The provincial disaster agency also reported that at least two people were hurt in the town of Ballesteros after they were hit by a corrugated roof set loose by the strong wind.

Cuarteros said several electric posts were downed by strong winds, leaving some towns with no power supply.

“Damages are still being assessed….No casualties have been reported in the province so far,” Cuarteros added.

‘Very strong winds, heavy rains’

Santa Ana town Vice Mayor Pinky Rodriguez described Ineng’s impact as one of the worst to hit her town, even forcing her to leave her own house due to flooding.

Rodriguez said she stayed with the evacuees overnight in the town hall, where relief goods were distributed.

Meanwhile, at least 5 villages are still submerged in floodwaters in the town of Santa Teresita, according to its mayor, Lolita Garcia.

In a phone interview, Garcia said the villages of Masi, Luga, Sibbaluca, Buyun, and Alucao remain isolated because of floodwaters. Several houses, and rice and corn crops were submerged.

Garcia said the local government is still coordinating with different agencies in providing relief efforts to the affected residents. – Rappler.com