Ivatans endure typhoon’s wrath
Known for their resilience, Ivatans helped each other secure their houses amid the threat of Typhoon “Betty.”
The Batanes police helped tie the houses, Facebook posts showed.
The typhoon-prone province has been known to have stone houses that are resilient to calamities.
The province was hit by intermittent power outages as the delivery of fuel supply for electricity lines was delayed due to the typhoon, Gov. Marilou Cayco said on Monday in a radio interview. She clarified that the brownout was not due to the typhoon.
The tanker boat of the National Power Corp., which regularly supplies fuel for the Batanes power plants, was stranded in Bolinao in Pangasinan because of the bad weather.
She asked for bigger fuel tanks and additional generating sets to help the province in having standby power.
Batanes has been under Signal No. 2.
Meanwhile, at least 486 people or 140 families were evacuated in Cagayan as Typhoon Betty brought strong winds with occasional rains on Monday.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported on Monday that 371 residents of Gonzaga town had to be evacuated. Edward Gaspar, Gonzaga disaster risk management officer, said the evacuees were mostly located near seas while the others are Agtas who reside near landslide-prone areas.
In the island Calayan town, thirty-four families or 111 people from Poblacion, Dadao, Babuyan Claro and Naguilian villages were brought to the evacuation centers. In Santa Ana town, two families with four people were brought to the evacuation center. Relief goods were given to the evacuees.