Philippines: Typhoon Juan leaves minimal damage - city govt fully prepared

Dagupan City - Typhoon 'Juan' with its 250 center winds when it hit land in Isabela yesterday morning and reduced to just 170 kph when it sideswiped Pangasinan by evening last night left minimal damage to this city.

A total of 374 families yesterday afternoon were brought to evacuation centers, comprising 1,171 persons as of early dawn today Tuesday. No casualties have been reported in the city, according to City Administrator Vladimir T. Mata.

Mata said evacuation centers were ready with food stuffs to tide the evacuees over while they await the end of the storm. Medical teams have done initial diagnosis and treatment of sick evacuees.

The city government was fully prepared for a bigger extent of damages thru its disaster risk reduction management teams that include volunteer relief organizations like the Red Cross and national agencies like the Department of Education.

Classes have been suspended in all levels.

In the Bonuan area, which was hardest hit by winds and tidal surge, residents mostly volunteered to move away from their threatened residences especially along the beach area. They were housed at North Central Elementary School, Senior Citizens' Office at Tondaligan and at the Sabangan Elementary School. Others were brought to the Don Federico Ceralde Integrated and at the old Doña Josefa Manaois Hospital.

In barangay Mayombo, the Day Care Center accommodated 57 persons.

Mayor Benjamin S. Lim monitored the situation till midnight Monday at the command center in the city museum building and was back as early as 6 a.m. to get the reports from the field.

He discounted a declaration of state of calamity in the city after assessing the reports although he said a thorough review in the release of calamity funds will be done as the storm passes. (CIO/PIA Pangasinan)