Some 33,000 individuals in Trinidad town, or over 94 percent of the town’s total population of 35,000, are now homeless after the municipality, along with the rest of the province, was battered by Typhoon Odette last week.
Based on a report released by the local government unit on Thursday, 8,000 of the total 8,700 houses in the town were “totally damaged.”
“Sa 9,200 ka pamilya, mga 8,000 nila kinsang panimalay totally-damaged tungod sa pagharos sa bagyo base sa report sa MDRRMO,” the LGU said.
The report was confirmed to the Chronicle by Trinidad Mayor Judith Cajes on Friday.
According to Cajes, the affected individuals left their typhoon-stricken homes and have either relocated to evacuation centers or to their relatives’ houses.
Meanwhile, some have returned to their damaged houses.
“Ang kanang uban na totally damaged naki-share lang sa uban, unya ang uban naa pa sa evacuation center og pananglitan sa [Barangay] Kauswagan naa pa uban sa schools kay ang mga gym nangalagpot man pud ang atop, ang uban gyud nipuyo balik sa ilaha unya ila lang pud gi tabil-tabilan ang ilahang naguba,” said Cajes.
Cajes has yet to determine how many of the 33,000 affected individuals have decided to return to their homes.
“Dili pa pud nako mahatag ang percentage kay daghan man mi kaayo, kina daghanan kaayo. Dili pa ko ka account,” said Cajes.
Based on the latest update released by the Capitol on Friday, the number of evacuees in the entire province was at 61,997.
It has yet to be confirmed if data from both the town and the province have already been reconciled.
In the same interview, the mayor said the local government unit has already distributed food, rice and water to residents but noted that her constituents are still in dire need of more relief aid.
Cajes said she had to pick up relief goods herself from the Capitol in Tagbilaran City to take to Trinidad residents.
“Luoy gyud, luoy gyud kaayo. Mao na karon naka-contact ra mo nako ron kay naa ko sa Tagbilaran nagpull out ta sa mga relief goods gikan sa provincial government, ni Governor Art Yap,” the mayor said.
The mayor also clarified that there were no typhoon-related deaths in the town.
She said that five persons who were initially counted as typhoon casualties died of other causes days after the storm hit.
Cajes added that they were able to prevent deaths by strictly imposing preventive evacuations.
“Naay namatay after sa bagyo pero dili tungod sa bagyo, tungod kay naay gipangbati na sakit, unya naay 101-year-old na gi-atake, naay lain na nahubog unya naparok so wala tay patay during sa typhoon kay ato man jung gipa-force evacuate ang kadtong mga flood-prone areas ug mga hadlok na lugar,” she said. (A. Doydora)