PIA Davao Region

DavOr's Oplan Tabang arrival in Dapa, Siargao  DAVAO CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA)- Assistance coming from Oplan Tabang Siargao of the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental has reached Typhoon Odette affected Siargao Island today (Jan. 12). Aboard a Philippine Navy vessel, the relief consisted of a 90-man team which consists of   a medical team, security personnel from the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police, food and logistics, and coordination teams who are set to turn over P500,000 cash assistance and conduct a three-day medical mission at the Municipality of Burgos in Siargao. The cargo of assistance also included   1,000 sacks of rice, 300 boxes of canned goods, and 1,600 pieces of GI sheets with roofing nails and "vulcaseal." (roofing sealant). "What we bring now to the people of Siargao is just a small aid compared to the scale of the devastation. But what truly matters most is showing care and compassion by letting the people feel that they are not alone i

Aftermath of a Category 5 typhoon (photo by Kara Ahorro) DAVAO CITY-   Kara Ahorro clearly recalls the traumatic memory of experiencing the wrath of Typhoon Odette, a category 5 typhoon which slammed into the island of Siargao in the early afternoon of December 16. When the typhoon came, Kara with her live-in partner Gani Rupido was just inside their house in General Luna. The couple decided not to evacuate. “It was forecasted to be just 150 kph   at its peak, We were here during Yolanda and that was 300 plus kph, though Yolanda did not made landfall in Siargao we just thought “ah kaya lang” (we can handle it),” Kara said. But then Odette had intensified into Category 5 one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country in recent years. Landfall Kara recalls the day when they felt the fury of the Category 5 typhoon. “At 1:53 p.m. nag zero visibility na sa lakas ng hangin and kasamang tubig kaya kahit saan tamaan ng hangin basa talaga pati loob ng bahay kung open ang bintana (It went ze