Whirlwind hit Mlang village, detroys houses, topple trees

MLANG, North Cotabato -- Strong winds and heavy downpour ripped through a farming village here Tuesday afternoon and destroyed several houses and wiped down trees and bananas, officials said.A tricycle driver was slightly injured when a broken tree branch hit him.The phenomenon occurred at about 3 p.m., according to Constantino Diason,Mlang Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Managment Officer, strong winds toppledseveral trees and partly damaged roofs of several homesin Barangay Buayan, Mlang.Diason said about 12 noon he received report from other local officials in Kidapawan City that strong winds and heavy down pour were battering the city. Expectedly, the rain and wind were moving to our direction, so we alerted our village officials and the municipal Emergency Response Team, Diason told DXND-AM Radyo Bida.At 3 p.m. whirlwind or strong circular winds the locals described as ipo-ipo hit Barangay Buayan, destroying trees in its path toward west.When the phenomenon was gone, emergency workers cleared portions of the national highway of fallen trees and debris to restore traffic flow.Before the strong winds hit Mlang, it toppled trees that hit the major power transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Barangay Saguing, Makilala, tripping power supply in most of Kidapawan City and Makiala, North Cotabato for about three hours.