Tropical Storm Vinta left Bohol with zero casualty and almost zero damage even as PAGASA hoisted signal no. 1 over the province on the first whip of the weather system in Mindanao.
Vinta, which only intensified into a typhoon on Sunday dawn as it started to move away from the country, brought rains and winds to Bohol, but the local disaster risk reduction and management units in different areas of the province had prepared for it.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Anthony Damalerio reported that based on data gathered from the field since PAGASA hoisted signal no. 1 over Bohol on Thursday until Friday morning, no one was reported dead and no major damage had resulted.
Floodings had been experienced in some areas, but they were not entirely attributed to Vinta since thunderstorms brought about by the tailend of the northeast monsoon preceded the tropical cyclone.
Damalerio, however, said that they continued monitoring the areas in Bohol on the impact of the storm even after the signal no. 1 had already been lifted by PAGASA.
Vinta made landfall in Cateel, Davao Oriental on Friday morning.
In preparation for the worst, relief goods from DSWD were readied at the PDRRMO operations center at Camp Bernido in Tagbilaran City.
No family or individual had been moved to evacuation centers such as schools and multi-purpose halls or barangay halls.
The emergency and response teams of the province and different government agencies in the towns had also been on alert to be able to promptly respond to emergency situations in the light of the rains being experienced in different areas from time to time.
Gov. Edgar Chatto, as chair of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council constantly reminded the public to be cautious at all times, especially those living along the coastal areas, landslide-prone and flood-prone areas.
Prior to the entry of tropical depression that later developed to Tropic Storm Vinta, Chatto convened an emergency meeting of the PDRRMC to prepare and to at least determine a rough estimate on what to expect if the storm’s diameter would reach Bohol.
He directed the PDRRMC for advisories to all towns, calling for preparations and readiness to respond.
Chatto also “personally checked relief availability and constantly asked for assessment on the situations in air and sea ports”.
PAG-ASA hoisted typhoon signal no. 1 over Bohol as of 8 a.m. on Thursday specifying that the province would be affected, considering that Vinta had a diameter of 400 kilometers and radius of 200 kilometers.
PAGASA noted that Bohol is about 100 kilometers from Davao where Vinta made landfall on Friday morning.
Signal no. 1 was lifted in the afternoon of Friday.
Vinta weakened into a tropical depression on Friday as it missed Bohol, but re-intensified into a tropical storm on Saturday and eventually into a typhoon in the wee hours of Sunday.