OCD tells residents to be on alert for tornadoes

FLASHFLOOD, landslides, storms, now add tornadoes to that as the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 11 urged residents to just be on the lookout for this unusual wind-induced occurrence following a mini tornado hit three barangays in Tugbok, District, Davao City last Wednesday.

OCD 11 director, retired Brigadier General Loreto Rirao, in a phone interview with Sun.Star Davao, said the country is experiencing unusual occurrence of tornadoes.

“Pero sa nangyari nung Wednesday, hindi talaga natin masabi kung mangyayari to ulit o hindi. Sana nga lang hindi pero, just in case, dapat mas alerto ang mga tao ngayon (But, because of what happened last Wednesday, we are not really sure if it will happen again or not. Hopefully it won’t but just in case, people should be more alert),” Rirao said over the phone.

He said if people notice a buildup of thick clouds mached with strong winds, then they should prepared. A tornado taking form can be distinguishable by a pointed end on a thick cloud formation.

“They should immediately take shelter and make sure that that shelter is sturdy enough to withstand strong winds. When in houses they should seek cover to avoid any injuries brought by debris blown by well,” Rirao said.

He also advised the public to construct improvised early warning devices for strong winds such as anemometers and barometers to detect the intensity and direction of the wind.

“We have been coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) so that they could share any technology to detect tornadoes. DOST has not yet created any monitoring devices for tornadoes given its unpredictable nature so I would suggest the community to settle with improvised early warning devices instead,” Rirao said.

It can be recalled that the barangays of Mintal, Sto. Ni¤o and Bago Oshiro in Tugbok District were the areas hit by the mini tornado.

The mini tornado totally destroyed one house and partially destroying 15. It also affected a total of 11 families or 44 individuals. No casualty was recorded in the incident.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (CDRRMC) along with the City Social Services Development Office (CSSDO) have been conducting damage assessment and relief operations in the area.