ILOILO City – Tropical Storm Kristine, which exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on October 25, left minimal damage to homes and livelihoods in Western Visayas, according to Raul Fernandez, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6.
No casualties or missing persons have been reported, except for a drowning incident in Boracay still under verification from the local government unit (LGU) of Malay, Aklan, he added.
Fernandez noted that despite warnings from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Boracay against swimming during the bad weather, the victim proceeded to swim and subsequently drowned.
“In general, we’re okay though there have been reports of flooded areas and damages to homes,” Fernandez told Panay News.
The OCD’s damage report showed 392 houses totally destroyed, while 9,294 were partially damaged.
As of October 26, approximately 85,367 families or 333,893 individuals have been affected in the region. Of these, 402 families or 1,502 persons are still in evacuation centers.
In the agricultural sector, damages were estimated close to P19 million, with initial reported losses and production damage around P18,906,000. The most affected provinces included Capiz with P6.8 million, Iloilo with P6.4 million, Negros Occidental with P3.2 million, Aklan with P1.7 million, and Antique with P608,000.
Fernandez explained that although the center of Tropical Storm Kristine was far from the region, its extensive rainband reaching a radius of 850 kilometers brought significant rainfall, prompting the raising of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1.
In regard to Tropical Storm Leon, which has entered the PAR, Fernandez said there is little to no chance of it making landfall in the country, but the northernmost tip of Luzon could be affected.
He expects Leon to gain strength and possibly become a severe tropical storm in the next 24 hours. Despite the distance, the region might experience moderate to heavy rains as the storm attracts southwesterly winds.
Fernandez continues to urge residents in flood and landslide-prone areas to stay vigilant and monitor weather updates./PN
