Laoag City (CNN Philippines) — Hundreds of residents of a coastal barangay in Laoag City were evacuated last night (July 6) due to a storm surge which occurred at the height of typhoon Egay.
Dr. Medel Manuel, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said more than two hundred residents of Barangay Caaoacan were temporarily transferred to Shamrock Elementary School and Ilocos Norte National High School.
“We immediately evacuated them after the water level went beyond the sea wall,” Manuel said.
Manuel added that the City Social Welfare Office has provided the evacuees with food, water and medicines.
However, after a few hours, most of the evacuees went back to their barangay for fear that thieves might attack their homes.
Another quake
Meanwhile, residents of the coastal area in Badoc, Ilocos Norte packed some of their things last night after another temblor shook the province.
At around 7:12 p.m. last night, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck 12 kilometers east of Batac City. It can be recalled that magnitudes 5.0 and 4.3 quakes hit Ilocos Norte Sunday night (July 5).
Virgilio Calajate, chairman of Gabut Norte, said residents of their barangay have already prepared some of their belongings in case the situation gets worse.
“We have already identified an evacuation area and prepared relief goods in case a storm surge or a tsunami strikes in our place,” Calajate said.
He added that boats and fishing equipment were transferred to a higher ground while houses near the sea were given additional support.
“In times like this, we must be on alert round the clock because our barangay is surrounded by water,” explained Calajate.
