TS Verbena affects over 11,000 families in Visayas

By Mariela Angella Oladive

A total of 11,860 families—or 35,855 individuals—in Western Visayas were affected by the combined effects of the shear line and Tropical Storm Verbena as of 10 a.m. on Nov. 26, according to Situational Report No. 4 from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) VI.

Of the affected population, 1,296 families, or 3,748 individuals, were staying in 53 evacuation centers, while 390 families, or 1,281 individuals, were assisted outside evacuation sites.

An additional 26,757 families, or 103,640 individuals, were preemptively evacuated—most of them from Capiz.

The report also recorded 85 damaged houses: 28 in Capiz, 4 in Iloilo, and 53 in Aklan. Of these, 80 were partially damaged, and five were totally destroyed—all in Aklan.

Flooding was monitored in 52 areas: 46 in Iloilo and six in Capiz. Two of the flooded areas in Iloilo had subsided as of reporting time. One rain-induced landslide was also reported.

Nineteen road sections were rendered impassable—15 in Capiz and four in Iloilo. All affected roads, power lines, and communication systems have since been cleared and restored.

Power interruptions were reported in 10 municipalities in Iloilo, but electricity has been fully restored.

Classes were suspended in 62 cities and municipalities: 43 in Iloilo, 14 in Capiz, and five in Guimaras.

No stranded passengers, vessels, or canceled trips were reported across 12 ports in the region.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development provided PHP 134,306 worth of assistance to affected families in Aklan and Iloilo.

Tropical Storm Verbena intensified from a tropical depression on the night of Nov. 25. It made landfall in Guimaras and Iloilo on Tuesday morning before moving toward the Cuyo Islands in Palawan.

As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, the storm was moving northwest over the coastal waters of Linapacan, Palawan, according to the latest weather advisory.