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Power outage hits Surigao Sur, Butuan; hundreds evacuate ahead of ‘Vinta’ landfall

By Froilan Gallardo

| December 21, 2017 - 11:33 pm

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 21 December) – A power outage hit Tandag City and eight other towns in Surigao del Sur hours before tropical storm “Vinta” would make landfall in the province on Thursday night.

Jennifer Bracamonte Pena of the Philippine Information Agency in Caraga region said Tandag and the towns of Lianga, San Agustin, Marihatag, Cagwait, Bayabas, Tago, San Miguel, and Cortes were without electricity starting at 6:19 p.m. Thursday.

Pena said some parts of Butuan City also experienced power outage as of 8 p.m. Thursday.

She added the Surigao del Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported they have implemented preemptive evacuation of 330 families in Hinatuan town and another 107 families in Cortes town.

Local government units in four towns in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro also carried out preventive evacuations.

Twenty-four families were evacuated in Jasaan town in Misamis Oriental. Claveria, Lagonglong and Binuangan towns implemented preventive evacuations, too.

In Cagayan de Oro, the city government evacuated 69 families from Barangays Macasandig and Cugman.

On 16 December 2011, a flood caused by typhoon “Sendong” killed hundreds of people in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Many of the corpses have remained unidentified six years after.

In Tandag, Mayor Alexander Pimentel ordered the suspension of work and classes on Friday to ensure the safety of residents. Schools all over the country normally take a break a few days before Christmas. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)