Typhoon “Odette” killed six persons and more than 34,452 evacuated in Negros Occidental, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Friday morning, December 17.
Flooding hit 60 percent of Kabankalan City, Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said
Residents of Kabankalan City and Ilog stranded on rooftops as flood waters rose called the 911 hotline at the provincial command center at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City for help Friday.
Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police teams were assisting in the rescue operations, Lacson, who was monitoring rescue and relief operations from the command center, said.
The six casualties were in San Carlos City – 1, Moises Padilla – 3 , Manapla – 1, and La Carlota City -1, he said.
The La Carlota fatality was Joemar Somiling of Barangay Balabag who was on his way home.
He was at Hacienda Cristina, Barangay 1 poblacion, pushing his motorcycle, when a tree trunk fell hitting his head and back causing his instantaneous death.
Negros Occidental was hit by a blackout and rescue operations were hampered by communication problems, with poor cellular phone connections for most of the day.
An estimate on the number of houses destroyed by “Odette” was being consolidated.
Lacson said Board Member Tinto Bascon said the after effect of the typhoon in some parts of the south was Yolanda-like.
The eye of the storm when it entered Negros Occidental was in Ilog, Lacson said.
They were checking on the situations in Binalbagan and Hinobaan but it was so hard to get in touch with some areas because of problems with communication, he said.
The 34,452 evacuees were in San Carlos City – 2,544, Calatrava – 498, Toboso – 750, Escalante City – 2,529, Salvador Benedicto – 489, Sagay City – 2,559, Cadiz City -1,197;
Manapla – 665, Victorias City – 4,225, Silay City – 2,678, Talisay City – 1,039, Murcia -125, Bago City – 1,513, Pulupandan – 1,114, Valladolid -23,San Enrique – 514, La Carlota City – 716, Pontevedra – 278;
Hinigaran -250, Binalbagan -12, Himamaylan City – 1,682, Moises Padilla – 150, La Castellana – 111, Kabankalan City – 929, Ilog – 530, Candoni -45, Cauayan – 5,196, Sipalay City – 577 and Hinoba-an -809.*