ILOILO – A tornado ripped through three towns in the 3rd District and damaged 114 houses.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) received reports from the municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices (MDRRMO) of Bingawan, Badiangan and Calinog about the tornado that hit around 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12.
Badiangan recorded 50 tornado-hit houses (one totally damaged and 49 partially damaged), Bingawan recorded 30 houses (all partially damaged), and Calinog had 35 houses (all partially damaged), according to Dr. Jerry Bionat, PDRRMO head.
Here is the breakdown of damaged houses:
Badiangan (49 houses)
* Barangay Mainguit – 28 partially damaged houses
* Barangay Manaolan – 17 houses (one totally damaged and 16 partially damaged)
* Barangay Odiongan – two partially damaged houses
* Barangay Agusipan – two partially damaged houses
Bingawan (30 houses)
* Barangay Bulabog – 30 partially damaged houses
Calinog (35 houses)
* Barangay Cabagiao – 16 partially damaged houses
* Barangay San Nicolas – two partially damaged houses
* Barangay Guiso – five partially damaged houses
* Barangay Toyungan – two partially damaged houses
* Barangay Malapawe – six partially damaged houses
* Barangay Alibunan – four partially damaged houses
Most of the houses were made of light materials, Bionat added.
In Bingawan, 28 farmers reported that the tornado flattened their rice fields, and one building was partially damaged.
“So far, wala sang napilasan, wala man sang nadulaan sang kabuhi,” Bionat said.
Why do tornadoes happen?
Bionat explained a tornado forms when there are two existing winds – warm, humid air that collides with cold, dry air.
The denser cold air is pushed over the warm air, usually producing thunderstorms. The warm air rises through the colder air, causing an updraft. The updraft will begin to rotate if winds vary sharply in speed or direction.
“Tungod nga madasig sia, nagpa-idalom ina sia kay may nagahigop sa iya, butongon ina sia kag magsugod na sang paglukot. So, samtang nagalukot ang ina nga hangin, ang lighter end sang sina nga nalukot nga daw banig mapa-ibabaw kag ang heavier end mapa-idalom kag magpadayun sa pagbuyong,” Bionat said in an interview with Panay News yesterday.
He added: “Sa pagbuyong ya sina dala sa iya pagporma, ang matipon niya amo ang debris kag yab-ok kag samtang nagapasaka ina sia may ara sang process nga evaporation and condensation so may clouds sia nga maporma, amo na ang makita naton nga gal-um nga porma.”
On Friday afternoon, Aug. 11, a tornado also hit six houses in Barangay Dugman, San Dionisio town./PN
