Quake disrupts water supply to S. Leyte town

The intensity 6 quake that hit Southern Leyte late Thursday night has disrupted electricity and water services to Hinunangan town, and damaged the local school and church. Citing reports from the field, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said late Friday that the quake damaged water pipes in the town, cutting off its water supply. It also reported that Hinunangan town experienced a power blackout from 11:10 p.m. Thursday, when the quake struck, until 5 a.m. Friday. The NDCC report also cited cracks at the Hinunangan Municipal Building and Church, and a collapsed concrete fence of Hinunangan Central Elementary School and a portion of Das-ay Bridge. On the other hand, the NDCC said teams have been sent to the neighboring towns of St. Bernard and Sogod, which experienced Intensities V and IV respectively. St. Bernard, which felt aftershocks, was the site of a massive mudslide that killed some 1,000 residents in 2006. Only last June 15, the three towns experienced an intensity 6 quake that affected Hinunangan, which has 50 villages and about 27,000 residents. The NDCC said assessment teams from the Office of Civil Defense and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology rushed to the three towns and inspecting the affected areas. -GMANews.TV