SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews / 25 Nov) – Around 360 passengers and 130 vehicles bound for the Visayas and Luzon were stranded in one of the ports in the city as Tropical Cyclone “Marce” hovered close to the city.
Boat trips bound for Siargao, Bucas Grande, Dinagat and islands that are part of Surigao City were cancelled, and bo
ats coming from these islands were likewise halted since Wednesday evening.
Flights to Cebu and Manila, too, were cancelled.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that the “Marce” passed by near this city around 5 p.m. Thursday.
Annette Villaces, information officer of the Surigao City Risk Reduction Management Council, said the city experienced light to moderate rains since Tuesday evening.
A landslide occurred in Pangi Road in Barangay Sapa in Claver town in Surigao del Norte, blocking the road with debris and fallen trees and hampering the way to Barangay Sapa proper and villages of Lahi, Sico-Sico and Camam-onan in Gigaquit town. No one was reported injured.
PAGASA reported that the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Camiguin, and Misamis Oriental were under tropical cyclone signal number 1.
Mayor Ernesto T. Matugas had declared the suspension of the classes in the pre-school, elementary, high school and senior high school levels.
In Surigao del Norte, Gov. Sol F. Matugas also declared Thursday afternoon that provincial government workers need not report for work.
But she said that “provincial offices involved in the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities and performance of vital services shall continue with their operations and render the necessary services.”
The city experienced a flash flood that caused a traffic jam after a low pressure area brought heavy downpour in the city on Nov. 4. (Roel N. Catoto / MindaNews)
