MANILA, Dec 28, 2003 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Tropical storm "Zigzag" left the country with no casualties, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced Sunday as she lauded disaster management agencies for the timely evacuation of areas along the storm's path.
"Because of the preparations, there was no casualty reported," Arroyo said at a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) held at the Presidential Palace.
She also ordered the closure of the NDCC Operations Center, set up inside the Palace at the weekend in preparations for the storm.
The president had ordered all areas along Zigzag's path evacuated in fear that the heavy rains brought by it could cause landslides as happened in several provinces in the central and southern Philippines last week, where some 200 people were buried in mud with dozens still missing.
Zigzag put a stop to sea travel on Friday and Saturday, leaving more than 6,400 holiday travelers stranded in various ports in the Bicol region in the country's northern main island of Luzon.
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Copyright (c) 2003 Comtex News Network
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 12/28/2003 07:16:46