Aparri seawall breaks; residents evacuated

N E W S B R I E F S

10/23/2009

A part of the man-size concrete seawall in Aparri town gave way to pressure from strong winds and rain brought about by previous typhoons and from oncoming Typhoon “Ramil,” which is expected to make landfall on the weekend.

As part of the local government’s preemptive actions in anticipation of the oncoming typhoon, some 100 residents of the town were transferred to safer grounds.

Cagayan Valley police director, Chief Supt. Roberto Damian said around 30 meters of the sea wall in San Antonio village gave way yesterday due apparently to the constant pummeling it got from the previous typhoons and from Typhoon Ramil.

Damian, however, said that section of the sea wall had been previously damaged and its condition only got aggravated. “Several cracks were seen on it previously,” he noted.

Reports said some 162 families were preemptively transferred from Barangay Maura, Aparri, to a safer location, even as the sea level continued to rise.

Similar evacuations were also made in other towns along the province’s northern coasts, in coordination with the provincial government and the national government.

Aparri is located on the mouth of the mighty Cagayan River and is said to be below sea level, which makes the preservation of the seawall highly important. Ted Boehnert

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