‘Paeng’ leaves 1 dead, over 1k families affected in Caraga – RDRRMC

Severe Tropical Storm (STS) “Paeng” (international name: Nalgae) left one dead and more than 1,000 families in Caraga Region displaced, the Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) on Tuesday, November 1, said.

The RDRRMC confirmed the death reported in Malimono town in the province of Surigao del Norte as a result of a landslide. The incident was initially reported as missing on October 27, 2022. The body was eventually recovered and turned over to local police on October 29, 2022 and was immediately buried.

Flooding and landslides were reported in Butuan City and the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, prompting the provinces of Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte to raise Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 on October 28, 2022 and leaving a total of 1,362 families or 4,817 individuals displaced. The bulk of the displaced population were recorded in the said provinces, where 655 families or 1,977 individuals and 525 families or 2,061 individuals, respectively, were forced to evacuate. Some 113 families or 477 families are from Butuan City, and 69 families or 302 individuals are from Agusan del Norte.

As of writing, 134 families or 550 individuals in Butuan City and Agusan del Norte are still sheltered in evacuation centers while those from Surigao del Norte and the Province of Dinagat Islands have since returned to their residences.

Class suspension was implemented in the provinces that raised Signal No. 1 and in Butuan City, where 541,279 learners were affected. Work suspension took effect in the Province of Dinagat Islands.

The report also mentioned that a total of 77 houses were damaged by the severe tropical storm, with 14 completely wrecked and 17 partially damaged. Air and sea travels were also suspended in the affected provinces. Surigao City Port cancelled all flights on October 28, 2022 and resumed on October 30, 2022. Sea travel suspension left 231 passengers stranded in Surigao del Norte; 95 in Agusan del Norte; and 18 in the Province of Dinagat Islands.

As for assistance, affected local government units in Surigao del Norte and the city government of Butuan handed out Food and NonFood Items to its affected population, amounting to a total of P97,179. “Paeng” is the 15th tropical cyclone to enter the country in 2022 and the fourth in October. The severe tropical storm claimed 121 lives and left over 2 million individuals across the country affected. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. declared a state of calamity in four regions namely CALABARZON (IV-A), Bicol Region, Western Visayas, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). (DMNR/PIA-Caraga)

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