TACLOBAN CITY—Survivors of Tropical Storm “Urduja” (international name: Kai-tak) in two Biliran towns find no reason to celebrate Christmas other than to be grateful for being alive.
TACLOBAN CITY—Survivors of Tropical Storm “Urduja” (international name: Kai-tak) in two Biliran towns find no reason to celebrate Christmas other than to be grateful for being alive.
“It is difficult to be joyous knowing that many of the people were sad over the loss of loved ones,” said Helen Palahos, 42 and resident of the village of Lucsoon in Naval town, one of the areas hardest hit by Urduja.
At least 27 residents of the village, many of them children, were buried alive when a landslide threw boulders and mud into at least eight houses as people slept.
Some of the dead were relatives of Palahos.
“Imagine losing several of your relatives in just one incident,” Palahos said. “It’s simply beyond belief,” she said.
Reminders
The boulders and mud that entombed the houses have not been removed, reminding Palahos of the tragedy that befell her relatives. Search teams were still looking for six missing persons.
Among the missing was PO1 Haide Ponyales.
PO2 Louie Ann Roque, of the Naval municipal police station, said the entire police force of the town could not find any reason to celebrate as the fate of Ponyales remained unknown.
“The entire town, I guess, is still sad about what happened here,” Roque said.
