MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/05 September) — A one-year old boy died and four other persons were hurt in a tornado that hit three villages of Valencia City, Bukidnon Saturday afternoon, Capt. Alejandro Larosa, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council coordinator reported to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
James Alumin, of Purok 18, Barangay Batangan was swept by the tornado when it passed through their house. He was separated from his mother, Mary Grace, 22, one of the four persons injured in the incident.
The others hurt in the incident were identified as Gogelyn Versaga, Sinisa Versaga, and Elton Galsin. Except for Galson, the injured victims were confined at the Abella Midway Hospital in Valencia.
Sinisa, mother of Gogelyn and Mary Grace, suffered the worst injury and doctors have advised that she should undergo an operation for a dislocated shoulder bone as soon as possible, Lilith Tabamo, a neighbor who attended to her, told MindaNews via telephone.
“Hopefully, the assistance from the government will include her operation,” said Tabamo, who goes to the same church as the Versagas.
The tornado came around 4:30p.
m. Saturday. It affected 40 families or 151 persons in the villages of Purok 18 in Batangan, Purok 5B in Kahaponan, and Purok 8 in Tongantongan, all in Valencia City.
Anianita Fortich, chief meteorological officer PAGASA Bukidnon said the affected barangays and the neighboring ones are prone to tornado.
“Areas like a river, mountains, and flat rice fields are areas prone to tornadoes,” she added.
But she clarified that these tornadoes are not very strong.
In August 2010, a tornado in the villages of Sinanlayan and Pakangan, both in Valencia, left an elderly woman dead and 67 houses destroyed.
The provincial and city disaster risk reduction and management councils sent relief goods to the victims, Arsenio Alagenio, provincial social welfare and development office said in his report to Gov. Alex Calingasan.
The parish priest of Valencia’s San Agustin Church and the Mountain View College Alumni Church and Community Relations sent food packs and cash donations. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)
