Scores of people in the Central Philippines fled from rising floodwaters, with some piggybacking on rescuers, as Tropical Storm Dante (Choi-Wan) inundated large parts of the country on Wednesday.
Homes were submerged in floods, destroying learning modules of students, based on photos from the scene that reportr is using with permission. Dante barreled through the Visayas and Southern Luzon islands overnight and was forecast to hit mainland Luzon later in the day.
Dante was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph with 90 kph gusts and made landfall five times in 12 hours, PAGASA said, It could pass over Oriental Mindoro or Batangas before making landfall over Bataan.
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In Maasin City, Southern Leyte, about 40 residents in barangays Basak and Combado were evacuated by the local coast guard to a nearby gymnasium.
In Odiongan, Romblon, Dante toppled trees and flooded several areas. The storm made landfall in Romblon twice in just one hour, PAGASA said.
Learning modules, computers and other learning materials in Balaquid Elementary School in Biliran were destroyed by floods, Teacher Lourd Ricardo Araneta told reportr. Biliran lies west of Sulat, Eastern Samar, where Dante first made landfall.
"Bye modules. Goodbye bond paper!" Araneta shouted in frustration as he checked the classrooms following the nonstop rains Tuesday night. He said he and his fellow teachers would reprint modules "double time" for next week's classes. For those who want to extend help, Araneta said he could be reached via Facebook.
