A hail storm hit the commercial district here Friday afternoon with accompanying heavy rains and strong winds that toppled wooden electric posts, huge trees, and damaged gasoline stations.
Edwin Escleto, Isulan municipal disaster management officer, said the unusual weather phenomenon occurred between 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. with small balls of ice pelting parked vehicles, stores, houses, and an Army detachment beside the national highway.
Two persons were reported injured after getting hit by falling tree branches, he added.
“We can hear what appeared to be small stones or pebbles landing on our roofs, we later learned these were small ice balls,” Estrellita Sumalpong, 50, a store owner near the town rotunda, said.
“We saw huge acacia trees falling, electric posts swaying and parked vehicles hit by various debris from tree branches to metal sheets that flew due to strong winds,” she added.
Escleto said the ceiling of a Shell gas station was damaged when hit by strong winds while a huge acacia tree hit a gas station a few blocks away in Barangay Impao.
“There were no typhoon or tropical depression notice from the weather bureau, the rain with strong winds quickly left as quick as it came,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency