CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The City of Surigao, remained isolated Sunday, four days after Severe Typhoon Odette (Code Named Rai) lashed the Northern and Eastern provinces of Mindanao on Thursday.
Mag. Francisco Garello, Jr., head of the army’s Division Public Affairs Office, confirmed that Surigao City could only be reached by satellite phone Sunday and that the extent of Typhoon Odette’s damaged lives and properties remained unknown.
In Cagayan de Oro City, communication totally broke down for two days a day after typhoon Odette left while the internet was restored only Saturday afternoon.
“The Philippine Army, based in Cagayan de Oro City, sent 44 troopers to distribute relief goods as well as search and rescue teams to Surigao City at the height of Typhoon Odette,” Garello told the Mindanao Daily News.
However, the damaged and destruction of typhoon Odette in Surigao remained unknown pending official reports from government other line agencies, he said.
A Philippine Navy rescue vessel heads toward the Surigao coastal channel Sunday to gather information and get a closer look of the damaged via satellite, but as of this writing, the military has yet to receive reports, Garello said.
MDN sources in Surigao City reported of a total communication breakdown in the city, total power outage, no potable water as countless residents took refuge in the neighboring city of Butuan.
There were unconfirmed reports about countless deaths in the tourist – rich island of Siargao where Typhoon Odette packs an intense wind of 195 km/hour made its first landfall Thursday (Dec. 16, 2021).
Garello said that the actual reports would be known once the military on the ground make a report in coordination with the Philippine Navy. -0-
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