A tornado ripped through Silay City and EB Magalona town in Negros Occidental Monday night hitting three elementary schools and 158 houses in its path, and leaving one dead and one injured, two mayors said yesterday.

The tornado that hit Silay City at about 7:30 p.m. Monday slammed Barangay Nanca in EB Magalona town 15 minutes later.

Classes at the Adela Elementary School in Silay City and the Nanca Elementary School in EB Magalona were cancelled yesterday as clearing operations were underway.

Six classrooms were destroyed and four were damaged at the Adela Elementary School , Montelibano said.

The school stage and canteen were also destroyed, teacher Teresita Tingson said. Classes were cancelled and close to 300 pupils were sent home yesterday, she said.

Lourdes Segovia, Adela principal, said 90 percent of the school was damaged by the tornado.

In EB Magalona classes were cancelled at Nanca Elementary School where five classrooms were damaged and three others were destroyed, Mayor David Lacson said.

He said 533 students are enrolled in the school.

The tornado also destroyed two classrooms at the Don Albino Doña Dolores Jison Elementary School in Silay City when an acacia tree was uprooted and fell on them, Mayor Jose Montelibano said.

Teachers said they were lucky the tornado hit at night or many pupils would have been injured as trees toppled down and crushed classrooms.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon ordered the distribution of assistance to the victims of the tornado, strong winds and floods throughout the province.

IN SILAY CITY

Maryjane Lima, 24, of Barangay E. Lopez, died when she was hit by a falling cotton tree while on her way to the house of a neighbor to charge her cellular phone, Silay City Administrator Ignacio Salmingo said.

Houses damaged by the tornado in Silay were two in Barangay Hawaiian, eight in Barangay Lantad and 13 in Barangay Balaring with one destroyed.

Many roofs of houses were ripped off, Salmingo said.

EB MAGALONA

An initial report also showed that 130 houses were damaged and four destroyed in Barangay Nanca, Lacson added.

Jonh Cyril Mendon Lasa, 14, of Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod, was injured when hit by flying objects in Barangay Nanca Monday night, Lacson added.

FLOODS, STRONG WINDS

Floods, heavy rains and strong winds since Friday until yesterday also destroyed 82 houses and damaged 1,013 others in six towns and three cities in Negros Occidental, affecting 1,562 families with 6,516 dependents, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office reported.

Very strong winds, not a tornado, hit Himamaylan City at 8 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. yesterday, Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon said.

A Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office report yesterday said a tornado destroyed six houses and damaged 17 others in barangays Aguisan, Saraet and Talaban in Himamaylan affecting 115 families with 460 dependents.

CALAMITIES

The Valladolid and Hinobaan Sangguniang Bayans are set to declare states of calamities soon, their mayors said.

Mayor Romel Yogore said the Valladolid Sanguniang Bayan will declare a state of calamity in 14 of 16 barangays of their town today so that funds can be released to assist the affected families.

Big waves and strong winds destroyed 28 houses and damaged 718 others in barangays Poblacion, Palaka, Sagua Banwa, Tabao Proper, Mabini, Bagumbayan, Central Tabao and Lacaron in Valladolid, affecting 746 families with 2,984 dependents, the PSWDO reported yesterday.

Mayor Ma. Teresa Bilbao said states of calamity will also be declared in some barangays of Hinoba-an town where 23 houses were destroyed, four by a tornado, while 131 were damaged in barangays Pook, Bulwangan, Bacuyangan, Culipapa, Alim, Asia and Barangay 2 affecting 528 families with 2,406 dependents Friday and Saturday.

OTHER AREAS HIT

The PSWDO also reported five houses damaged in Barangay Gargato, Hinigaran, affecting five families with 20 dependents; and four houses destroyed and 121 damaged in barangays Binubuhan, Poblacion and Mailum in Bago City affecting 123 families with 460 dependents.

Strong winds destroyed one house in Barangay East Candoni affecting nine persons; while in Pulupandan 14 houses were destroyed and 12 were damaged affecting 36 families with 145 dependents, the PSWDO added.

In Pontevedra strong winds destroyed four houses and damaged four others, affecting eight families with 32 dependents.

BACOLOD CITY

In Bacolod City five houses were damaged and two destroyed in Magsungay, Barangay Singcang, in a storm surge Sunday, Jose Ma. Vargas, head of the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said.*CPG

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