MARING'S RAMPAGE. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office in Agusan del Norte reports the evacuation of 660 families and the destruction of nine houses all worth PHP430,000 in the province caused by Tropical Storm Maring. The weather disturbance also destroyed 24 cottages all worth PHP480,000 in resorts in Cabadbaran City and Buenavista town. (Photo courtesy of PDRRMO Agusan del Norte) BUTUAN CITY - Around 660 families in Agusan del Norte have been affected when Tropical Storm Maring began lashing the province over the weekend. In an interview with the Philippine News Agency Tuesday, Erma Suyo, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Agusan del Norte, said most of the affected families were residents in coastal barangays in different towns in the province. "Strong waves caused by TS Maring damaged some houses in our coastal areas. We also implemented preemptive evacuations among residents in these areas for safety," Suyo said. The areas with affected families include Jabonga with 60 families, Cabadbaran City with 472, Tubay with 35, Buenavista with 21, Magallanes with 69, and the town of Santiago with three families. "As of 5 p.m. on Monday, all the evacuated residents have already returned home," Suyo said, adding that the affected families have been aided by the provincial government with relief goods. A total of nine houses in the coastal areas of Tubay, Carmen, Buenavista, and Cabadbaran City were also damaged by strong waves on Monday. "Most of these houses are built [with] light materials. Around PHP430,000 worth of properties, particularly houses, were damaged by TS Maring in our province," Suyo said. The PDRRMO also reported the damage of 22 cottages in several beach resorts in Cabadbaran City and two resorts in Buenavista town, incurring total damage of PHP480,000. Floods that hit the province caused by "Maring" also caused a PHP1,000,000 damage to infrastructure, specifically to roads in Del Pilar, Cabadbaran City, and a PHP500,000 damage in Tagmamarkay, Tubay. No casualties were reported during the onslaught of "Maring" and no damage to property were also reported on the agriculture and fishery sectors in the province. (PNA) }