Nona damages 250 schools in Oriental Mindoro

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday said that the resumption of classes in Oriental Mindoro after the holiday break may be moved because of the effects of Typhoon Nona in the province.

A report on GMA News' Balitanghali by Ian Cruz said that a total of 256 schools in Oriental Mindoro were damaged during the onslaught of Typhoon Nona.

Dr. Malou Servando, DepEd division superintendent, said 215 of the damaged schools are elementary schools and 41 are high schools.

Servando said that there are a total of 413 elementary schools and 80 high schools in Oriental Mindoro.

Among those damaged was the Juan Morente Senior Memorial Pilot School in the municipality of Pinamalayan, which has some 2,000 students.

School Principal Luciano Lolong said the school's damage was at 95 percent. He said that majority of the damage was caused by trees toppled by Nona's strong winds.

The DepEd said that schools in other regions that were also devastated by Nona may also have to move the resumption of classes after the holiday break.

It said that aside from the rehabilitation of damaged schools, they were also helping teachers who lost their houses to the typhoon.

Servando said teachers, students and their parents who were severely affected by the typhoon will undergo psycho social debriefing.

The DepEd official, meanwhile, confirmed that a teacher was among those who died during Nona's onslaught in the province.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has confirmed 34 deaths due to Nona.

Of the 34 fatalities, nine were recorded in Oriental Mindoro.

Meanwhile, evacuees staying in schools in the province are seeking for more relief goods. The Department of Social Welfare said relief operations are continuous.

Communication lines in Oriental Mindoro are almost fully restored but power remains totally out in most municipalities. —Andrei Medina, GMA News