‘Suffering in silence’: Negros Island seeks urgent aid after Typhoon Tino onslaught

After Typhoon Tino battered the Visayas regions, residents of Negros Island Region called for urgent help as areas in the central and southern parts, particularly cities of La Carlota and Canlaon, suffered major infrastructural damage, power outages, and a lack of water supply. 

“Our province is suffering in silence, and we urgently need help. We hope that more people, organizations, and volunteers can coordinate with the local LGUs, and NGOs, to reach those who are most affected,” read an email from a Negros resident sent to Follow The Trend Movement (FTTM).

On Nov. 6, two days following the typhoon onslaught, the provincial board of Negros Occidental placed the province under a state of calamity. 

Recent data from the Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMO) showed 44 confirmed deaths, while 53 individuals remain missing as floodwaters left some areas overwhelmed. 

More than 130,000 individuals across the province and at least 14 barangays in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, have been affected by the typhoon’s impact on the region, according to the City DRRMO.  

“Malaking pinsala sa mga kabahayan. Gagawin natin ang lahat upang matulungan ang mga residente ng La Carlota,” Dr. Junnie Martin Torrefranca, head of the La Carlota CDRRMO, said.

Meanwhile, the Canlaon City government in Negros Oriental has also declared a state of calamity in the devastating aftermath.

In its latest update, authorities reported 12 deaths and eleven people missing in several barangays across the city.  

Canlaon Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas stated that the city is facing widespread power outages, internet disruptions, and water supply shortages. 

Ten barangays remain without electricity, all communication lines are disrupted in all barangays, and barangay Panubigan is still lacking of water supply.

“We are trying our best to address these pressing problems, but they are very difficult at present,” Cardenas said in a report from Rappler. 

For the meantime, the 941 individuals displaced by the calamity were sheltered in seven evacuation centers where they were being provided with food and other forms of relief assistance.