LIBERTAD, Antique – Though super typhoon “Odette” claimed no lives here, it destroyed 23 fishing boats, according to the municipal government.
“Nagkaraguba kag naanod. Duro nga mga fishing gears ang nagkarasamad,” said Mayor Mary Jean Te.
Libertad is a coastal and northernmost municipality of Antique. It is 150 kilometers from the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista.
Big waves battered the fishing boats docked on the shores of Libertad.
According to the 2020 census, Libertad had a population of 17,507 people, making it 17th most populous municipality in the province.
“Odette” also partially damaged 56 houses; they were rocked by strong winds and those along the shoreline were battered by storm surges.
A storm surge a rise in sea level that occurs during typhoons. The storms produce strong winds that push the water into shore, which can lead to flooding. This makes storm surges very dangerous for coastal regions.
According to Te, 1,072 heeded the call for preemptive evacuation ahead of the typhoon, which struck Antique in the wee hours of Dec. 17. By Dec. 18, these people returned to their respective houses.
The local government of Libertad will be releasing assistance to those displaced by the typhoon, particularly those whose livelihood were adversely affected (such as fisherfolks) and those whose houses and farms were damaged.
It will also be repairing damaged roads.
Te tasked the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to assess the situation in the town’s 19 barangays.
“Mag-report sa aton mga barangay kung ikaw naapektohan, nasamadan kang balay, pananom, gamit pangisda, kag iba pa nga kagamitan,” Te urged her constituents./PN
