Tarlac under state of calamity due to 'Santi'

Tarlac province has been placed under state of calamity due to the devastation caused by Typhoon Santi over the weekend.

The report said siblings Rochelle and Raymond Samson were killed when an uprooted mango tree fell on their house in Concepcion town.

A similar incident occurred in Tarlac City, but resident Gemma Matias was able to leave her house before it was crushed by a falling acacia tree.

The video showed residents using chainsaws to remove the fallen trees that rendered many roads impassable.

“Lahat ng roads natin passable na. Ang ginagawa na lang natin ngayon is nililinis natin yung mga punong natumba,” said Senior Superintendent Alfredo Corpus, the police provincial director.



According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the heavily affected areas in Tarlac were Mayantoc, Gerona, Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac City, Moncada, La Paz, Paniqui, Pura, San Jose, Capas, Concepcion and Ramos.

The report said electricity has been restored in 12 affected municipalities, while the Tarlac Electric Company was still fixing electric lines and posts in areas still experiencing blackout.

“Santi” left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Sunday morning. However, another typhoon entered the PAR before noon on Monday. Codenamed Tino, the cyclone was estimated to be 1,210 km northeast of Basco, Batanes, as of 10 a.m.

PAGASA forecaster Alvin Pura said "Tino" will not make landfall and may exit the country as early as Tuesday morning. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News