Urduja displaces 496 families in Panay Is.

ILOILO CITY — A total of 496 families have been displaced in Panay island as tropical storm ‘Urduja’ battered the region over the weekend.

In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Jose Roberto Nuñez, chairman of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-6 (RDRRMC-6) said there are currently 496 families, composed of 2,190 persons, affected in the region. Out of the 496 families, 256 were forced to move to evacuation centers due to the continuous flooding.

Specifically, 236 families of the evacuated families are in Capiz province, while 20 others are in Tambaliza Island in Concepcion, Iloilo. The affected families included 295 in Capiz; 174 in Concepcion, Iloilo; and 27 in Aklan.

According to Nuñez, the towns of Dumalag, Sigma, Maayon, Pan-ay and Roxas City are currently flooded. But he assured that all national and provincial roads and bridges in the region are currently “normal and passable.” He added that the local DRRMC of the affected areas are attending to the needs of the displaced families.

Nuñez said that, for now, there is zero casualty in the region. “RDRRMC-6 is currently on red alert status in order to facilitate coordinated monitoring and response operations in the whole of Western Visayas,” he said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard-Iloilo Commander Lieutenant Ramil Palabrica said that a total of 1,524 passengers are currently stranded in the different ports and terminals as all boat trips were still canceled in the region, except boats traveling from Iloilo to Guimaras and vice versa. He said that boat capacity has been reduced to 75 percent to secure the safety of the passengers.

Among the stranded included 847 passengers in Caticlan port, going to Boracay island; 355 in Lapuz Port going to Bacolod City; 108 in Fort San Pedro Terminal, going to Manila, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro; and 198 in Dumangas, Iloilo port.

Palabrica said the Department of Social Welfare and Development-6 on Sunday morning provided food packs to the 108 stranded passengers in Fort San Pedro terminal. The food was cooked at the office of the PCG, beside the terminal, and served to the passengers during lunch. He added that they also provided packed breakfast to the passengers yesterday morning, from donations of some private groups and individuals.

Palabrica said the DSWD-6 is continuously conducting an assessment of the different ports and terminals in the region to provide the stranded passengers of their needs. The trips of the boat will resume once the tropical storm signal will be lifted in the affected areas here, he added.

Chief Inspector Louie Barrientos, focal person for disaster of the Police Regional Office-6, said they are also currently on “full alert” status to provide assistance to the public especially to the displaced families in the region.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Nuñez said the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo are still under the tropical cyclone signal no.1 based on the PAGASA update. Nuñez assured that the local DRRMC of Boracay is currently doing all the necessary preparations to secure the safety of the residents.