Goring displaces over 1,000 residents in Cagayan

More than 1,000 residents of Cagayan province have been displaced due to the effects of Typhoon Goring.

According to the report of GMA Regional TV's Jasmin Gabriel-Galban on Unang Balita on Monday, the evacuees include members of the IP community in Gonzaga town.

“Medyo mahirap po doon sa amin kasi malakas ang kuwan doon, hangin at ulan (it’s difficult in our area because the wind and rain there were strong),” Lovie Agcaoile, an evacuee, said.

PAGASA raised Signal No. 1 over portions of Cagayan due to Goring on early Monday.

Ruelie Rapsing, the head of the Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said evacuees will be sent home when the weather improves.

“Kung bubuti po at siisplip ang ating araw ay pauwiin na po natin sila. Sila ay nasa pangangalaga po ng kanilang local government units na nagpapakain sa kanila,” Rapsing told Unang Balita.

(If the weather condition improves and we will see the sun, we may let them go home. They are under the care of their local government units.)

Rapsing said there have been no reports yet of casualties, injuries, or missing individuals due to Goring.

He said the PDRRMO recorded power interruption in some areas on Saturday but this has been addressed on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, he said that all major roads in bridges in Cagayan are passable.

“All passable po, wala pong damages. May mga municipal and barangay roads lang po na impassable at this moment po,” Rapsing said.

(It’s all passable and there were no damages. There are just some municipal and barangay roads that are still impassable at this moment.)

The PDRRMO head said 14 municipalities are still flooded due to a poor drainage system.

According to Rapsing, Cagayan is not out of the woods yet.

“Babantayan pa rin po natin yung mga tributaries ng Cagayan River. Although Cagayan River is my moderate or gradual rise ng tubig pero itong mga tributaries… ng Cagayan river… ay swelling pa. In fact, flooded pa ‘yung mga municipalities na nadadaanan nito,” he said.

“So baka magtuloy-tuloy yung pagtaas nito. Yung mga kasama po natin sa riverside, kayo po ay pupuntahan ng inyong mga barangay officials. Sumama po kayo para sa inyong safety po,” he added.

Effects

Hectares of plantations in Gattaran were flooded due to continuous rains brought by Goring, Unang Balita reported.

Some houses and schools in San Vicente were also submerged in flood water.

“Napakahirap po lalo na marami kaming alagang pato, ang daming namatay na pato. Mga 30 plus ang namatay na pato kasi inanod po,” Madelyn Dela Cruz, a resident, said.

(Life is hard especially since many of our ducks died in the flood. Some 30 ducks were swept away.)

Some residents were also unable to cross the Bagunot Bridge while roads in Santo Nino and Solona could not be used.

The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office has started distributing food packs to affected residents.

According to a separate report on Unang Balita, Isabela also experienced strong rains and winds.

Some trees were toppled while plantations in the province were also flooded.

Despite the fishing ban imposed on the province, some fishermen still continued to sail.

Signal No. 3 was raised in Isabela on Sunday.

The eastern portion of the province is currently under Signal No. 1. —Joahna Lei Casilao/KBK, GMA Integrated News