Strong winds injure 2 people; destroy over 200 houses in Basilan

At least two people were injured and hundreds of people left homeless after Muslim communities in Maluso, Basilan Province were hit by strong winds, officials said Wednesday.

The strong winds, which struck in 14 barangays (villages) in Maluso, have destroyed more than 200 houses, officials said.

They called on the Office of Civil Defense and other government agencies to provide emergency relief to those affected.

“Strong winds hit many parts of Maluso causing extensive damage to houses… So they (affected families) need humanitarian assistance urgently,” Basilan DPWH District Engineer Madsmo Hasim told Zamboanga Southwall.

The winds blew away roofing and caused complete destruction. Seaweed farms in some coastal areas and several fishing boats were also destroyed, according to Hasim.

Typhoon Milenyo, the strongest to hit in Metro Manila in a decade, displaced 1.33 million people and blacked out Luzon, leaving 43 million people in the dark.

The storm wrecked 146,000 houses and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland. Some 171,000 people displaced by floods and gales remained in evacuation centers. (HADER GLANG)