Battered by Nina, Camarines Sur declares state of calamity
Camarines Sur Gov. Miguel Villafurte on Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 declared a state of calamity. Villafuerte/Released, file
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED 8:39 a.m.) — Gov. Miguel Villafuerte on Monday morning declared Camarines Sur under a state of calamity after Typhoon Nina battered the province on the night of Christmas Day on Sunday.
Camsur declares state of calamity.
— Miguel Villafuerte (@MigzVillafuerte) December 25, 2016
Typhoon Nina made its second landfall over Sagñay, Camarines Sur at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night, after it slammed Bato, Catanduanes at 6:30 p.m.
Power was down in Camarines Sur on Sunday night when the province was placed under cyclone warning signal no. 4 as among the areas expected to be worst hit.
"Power outages all over the province. Communication towers, cell sites are down, internet connection affected that's why communication is now very challenging," Villafuerte said in a statement on Monday.
On Monday, Camarines Sur continued to be under cyclone warning signal no. 3 expected to be blown with winds of 121 to 170 kilometers per hour in the next 18 hours, according to state weather agency PAGASA.
Republic Act 10121 allows local governments to declare a state of calamity when their areas of jurisdiction involves "major damages to property, disruption of means of livelihoods, roads and norma way of life of people in affected areas" as a result of natural hazards.
Villafuerte over the weekend offered roast pig, a popular Christmas delicacy locally called "lechon," in evacuation centers to entice villagers to move to emergency shelters.
"I know it's Christmas ... but this is a legit typhoon," Villafuerte tweeted on Christmas Eve. "Please evacuate, we'll be having lechon at evacuation centers."
Camarines Sur officials had targeted about 50,000 families — some 250,000 people — for evacuation by Saturday night, but the number of those who responded was initially far below expectations.
The local government of Camarines Sur offers lechon, or roasted pig, to entice residents to evacuate on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016. Gov. Villafuerte/Released
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, which helps oversee government response during disasters, said only about 4,200 people were reported to have moved to six evacuation centers by Sunday morning in the Bicol region, which includes Camarines Sur.
"It's difficult to force celebrations when our lives will be put at risk. Please prioritize safety and take heed of warnings by local government units," welfare official Felino Castro told The Associated Press by phone. — with reports from the Associated Press
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