About 2,600 Girl Scouts were evacuated from their Barangay Patag camping grounds in Silay City as strong winds and heavy rains brought on by tropical depression Queenie hit yesterday morning, Barangay Captain Milagros Catalan said.

She said the campers began arriving in Patag, a mountain barangay 37 kilometers from the city proper, since Monday for a four-day GSP jamboree that was to start yesterday.

But strong winds and rains toppled tents and threatened the safety of the Girl Scouts, prompting the decision to abort the camping activity, the Patag barangay captain said.

GSP Negros Occidental Council president Ruby Velez issued the order to break camp before the start of the opening program of the jamboree for junior and senior scouts yesterday morning.

Catalan said they began bringing the Girl Scouts down from Patag at 8 a.m. that lasted until yesterday afternoon..

The campers were brought to the Silay City gym where they were fed by the City government on orders of Silay Mayor Jose Montelibano while they waited to be picked up by the vehicles sent by their respective town and city governments.*CPG

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