Seniang leaves lone fatality, 3 missing in Capiz and Aklan

KALIBO, Aklan - Typhoon Seniang which recently lashed the provinces of Aklan, Capiz and Northern Antique provinces with strong winds and heavy rains, left a lone casualty and three missing and wrought havoc to millions of pesos worth of agriculture and infrastructure projects as it exited early Sunday night out of the Western Visayas region.

In its report on Sunday, the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) based here, identified the lone fatality as 11-year-old Angeline Besana,who was pinned to death after their house in Pan-ay, Capiz was crushed by a fallen tree. The freak incident also injured 29-year-old Ednalyn Besana.

The RDCC also identified the three missing persons as Paquito Recio, Dolly Adrenosin and Jonard Adrenosin. They were reported trapped and drowned inside the batel on drydock at the Culasi port in Roxas City when the vessel suddenly overturned at the height of Typhoon Seniang.

Initial reports received by the RDCC here also said a total of 41 houses were totally destroyed, partially damaged 75 others and displaced a total of 596 families as the typhoon battered the towns of Ivisan, Dumarao, Pontevedra, Panay, Pilar and Maayon, including Capiz and Roxas City, with heavy rains and strong winds.

Flashfloods damaged millions of pesos worth of agricultural produce in 2,766.85 hectares of land and 72 hectares of fishponds in the towns of Jamindan, President Roxas, Panay, Panit-an, Dumarao, Sapian, Cuartero, Maayon, Dao and Tapaz in Capiz.

In Aklan, massive flashfloods also affected 35 families in Batan, Kalibo and Tangalan towns with eight houses in New Washington and a lone house in Kalibo partially destroyed, but Seniang took heavy toll on agricultural crops that have been damaged by floods valued at P3.970 million, fisheries at P2.672 million, poultry and livestock at P0.830 million, and infrastructure projects at P3.285 million.

However, the number of affected families and property damage may further soar after floodwaters from the Aklan river overflowed that almost submerged major streets in Kalibo town proper at the height of the typhoon, forcing mass evacuation of residents living near the river banks and low-lying barangays in Kalibo proper to higher ground for safety.

The Aklan bridge linking Kalibo and Numancia was rendered impassable under waist-deep floodwater from both sides of the bridge which stranded motorists and commuters going to Caticlan.

At the height of the typhoon, a total blackout was also experienced throughout the province, including the island resort of Boracay where Seniang also bent its ire in that premier tourist destination in the country wreaking havoc to the mushrooming resorts and tourism-oriented investments.

On the other hand, the province of Antique which is also located along the path of Seniang in the region, has so far reported a total 30 families affected in Sibalom and 12 others in Belison town.

Meanwhile, all disaster councils in these hard-hit provinces have been activated while search and rescue groups including relief and rehabilitation task units were mobilized to help displaced families housed in various designated evacuation centers in the respective towns in the said provinces in the aftermath of Typhoon Seniang.

However, Typhoon Seniang spared the city and province of Iloilo including Guimaras and parts of Negros province from the devastation, aside from occasional but heavy rains and strong winds which prompted Coast Guard authorities here to cancel the departure of fastcrafts plying Iloilo and Bacolod as well as motorized pumpboats traversing mainland Iloilo and Guimaras as Seniang battered Aklan, Capiz and northern parts of Antique, Iloilo and Negros provinces.