Surigao del Sur now under state of calamity; 2 confirmed dead, 3 missing

by Ben Serrano

January 4, 2011

 

            CAMP RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ, Libertad, BUTUAN CITY (PNA)  - Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel this morning announced that Surigao del Sur is now under state of calamity.

 

            Pimentel in text messages to this writer claimed two were confirmed dead, three missing and one hurt in the province as a result of flooding and landslide that hit the province at the beginning of 2011.

 

            Pimentel said two were confirmed dead in Aras-Asan, Cagwait, Surigao del Sur, three missing and one was hurt as tree falls into the still unidentified victim in Antao, Carnen, Surigao del Sur.

 

            The Surigao del Sur said in text messages that one person was missing in Bislig City after huge waves hit him and another one was drowned in Tago River in tago, Surigao del Sur.

 

            All, he said, were still under process by local authorities in the area for identification.

 

            Pimentel said that as rain subsides around ten a.m. this morning portion of national highway in Tago, Surigao del Sur is now passable. Said portion of the road is the only access road to and from Tandag, Surigao del Sur, capital town of the province.

 

            Official reports from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) as of this morning claimed some 155, 903 persons in Surigao del Sur alone were affected by the calamity.

 

            Some 114 barangays from the total 17 municipalities of Surigao del Sur were affected by the calamity, OCD official report said.

 

            Some 26,032 families were affected by floods and landslides in Surigao del Sur, the OCD report further states.

 

            The total damages in both private and public infrastructure in Surigao del Sur have not yet been officially tallied although the Office of Civil Defense claimed there were damaged roads, bridges and irrigation canals worth millions of pesos.

 

            OCD said they have not yet received official report coming from the Department of Agriculture of the total official amount of damaged agricultural crops, livestock, fishponds and fish cages as of press time.

 

            “We are still awaiting the official reports from them although there were initial reports that millions of pesos of crops especially ricleands that were flooded were also damaged in the entire Caraga region” OCD Caraga regional director Dr. Blanche Gobenciong said. (PNA/Ben Serrano)