The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) fell short of its zero-casualty goal after a mother was killed when her house was blown into a river in Dumangas at the height of Typhoon Tino’s onslaught.
Authorities said the woman, a resident of Barangay Paloc Suol, was swept away around 2 p.m. on November 4 as violent winds tore through the coastal town. She was pulled from the river and rushed to Ramon Duremdes Memorial Hospital, but doctors declared her dead on arrival.
The tragedy came despite Iloilo’s heightened disaster readiness, with the province placed under red alert status to ensure close coordination among agencies and quick response to emergencies.
According to the PDRRMO’s latest data, Tino affected 123,757 individuals or 38,745 families across 787 barangays. At least 473 houses were damaged — 449 partially and 24 totally destroyed — as winds uprooted trees and scattered debris across communities.
Local authorities said the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the lone fatality underscores the storm’s unpredictable force — and the limits of even the best-laid preparations.IMT
