Storm leaves at least eight people dead

TYPHOON Pedring (international codename: Nesat), considered to be one of the strongest the country had faced this year with its rain and wind path twice as big as those of an average typhoon, has nearly paralyzed half of the main island of Luzon where it caused the death of at least eight people, knocked out power lines, displaced thousands and submerged many areas, including parts of Metro Manila.

The storm made landfall over the boundary of Aurora and Isabela provinces on Tuesday and wreaked havoc in Regions 2, 3, 4-A, 5 and the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and parts of the Visayas, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC executive director, Undersecretary Benito Ramos, said that the typhoon entered the country’s area of responsibility with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph but later weakened as it crossed the Sierra Madre mountain range.

“This storm is very intense, the rain is strong and winds are powerful . . . we are hearing of rivers about to burst their banks, and there are evacuations ongoing in different areas,” Ramos told Agence France-Presse.

“We do not have exact figures on how big the damage is . . . as the storm is still battering us,” he said.

Pedring hit the northeastern side of Luzon before dawn and was expected to slowly travel across the mountainous, remote farming areas of Northern Luzon until Wednesday, continuing to dump heavy rains across the whole island that is home to about 48 million people.

The agricultural provinces of Isabela and Aurora in the east of the country, among the Philippines’ leading rice-producing areas, were the most heavily affected initially, said the state weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical and Services Administration (Pagasa).

At least two people were confirmed dead, while some were injured and one was missing in Olongapo City and Bulutan, both in Zambales.

Since the typhoon was very wide in diameter, it caused widespread flooding in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Aurora, Bataan and Pampanga.

“This typhoon is very wide in diameter, which is why it affected almost the whole of Luzon,” said Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Region 3 Director Josefina Timoteo, adding that electricity was also cut off in the whole of Pampanga, Bulacan and Aurora (See related story on power outages).

OCD Region 5 Director Rafael Alejandro said that landslides were recorded on major highways of Catanduanes province while there were reports of some missing fishermen from Camarines Norte and Masbate provinces.

He said a one-year-old baby died when he fell into a swollen river in Catanduanes.

Alejandro said that the weather slightly improved in Region 6 and flood waters had started to recede, although some 14,000 families or close to 92,000 people were affected in Albay province and another 8,000 families in Camarines Sur province.

Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay ordered the decampment of 92,000 people after Pagasa lifted all public storm warnings in Bicol.

“Typhoon Pedring poses no more risks to life and property. All prior advisories lifted and response phase terminated. Full decampment of 14,855 families or 91,849 persons is also imposed today,” Salceda told The Manila Times.

Damages brought by the typhoon was remarkably limited in Albay except to palay (unhusked rice) plantation.

“Damages limited. No injured reported. Zero casualty achieved here with our preemptive evacuation enforced across the province since Sunday evening,” the governor said.

Waist-deep
Parts of Manila, a sprawling megacity of more than 12 million, endured waist-deep flooding, with some of the worst impacts seen around the historic bayside area.

Huge waves crashed onto Manila Bay’s seawall, sending water spraying over into the picturesque Roxas Boulevard and closing one of the city’s main arteries to traffic.

“The bay just rose over the seawall. We are advising people not to leave their homes and stay safe. Those living near the bay should be vigilant,” Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang told Agence France-Presse.

The ground floor of Ospital ng Maynila (Manila Hospital), which sits on the boulevard facing the bay, was submerged in knee-deep waters, forcing medical staff to relocate patients to the second floor, radio station dzBB said.

“We’ve heard of Manila Hospital being flooded, but we’re struggling to reach the area even though we’ve coordinated with them already to help in an evacuation plan,” Pang said.

The five-star Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, located on the bay, was also evacuated, rescue workers said.

About 30 vehicles parked in the hotel’s basement were reportedly under seawater.

The Manila city government evacuated also on Tuesday hundreds of residents in some of the city’s flooded areas.

“We already evacuated affected residents and we temporarily used some sports complexes, such as the Del Pan Sports Complex and the basketball court in Baseco, as evacuation centers,” Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila said.

Suspended
Malacañang announced the suspension of all school classes and work for government agencies in Manila and other affected areas and despite a hectic schedule in meeting prospective Japanese investors in Tokyo, President Benigno Aquino 3rd assured the public that he was on top of the situation and continued to discharge instructions to concerned officials in Manila to ensure government resources are extended to victims of the typhoon.

Lawyer Julito Vitriolo, the executive director of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), said that they ordered the suspension of classes after consultations were made with CHED Chairman Dr. Patricia Licuanan with the heads of various colleges and universities.

Under CHED Memorandum Order 34, the heads of colleges and universities are given the authority to order the suspension of classes in their respective institutions because of weather disturbances such as typhoons and flooding.

“I have been in touch with Secretaries (Corazon) Soliman (Social Welfare), (Voltaire) Gazmin (Defense) and (Jose Rene) Almendras (Energy),” President Aquino said in a statement read by Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda during a press briefing in Malacañang.

The President left for Tokyo on Sunday morning and was to return to the Philippines this afternoon.

”I have instructed the Executive Secretary to compile information from NDRMMC and to inform our people of conditions as well as of government efforts to mitigate the effects of the storm,” he said.

About 5,000 people living inland along the Marikina River in Marikina City (Metro Manila) were ordered to leave their homes because the waterway was threatening to overflow its banks, Lacierda told reporters.

Stranded
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that thousands of passengers were stranded in various ports because of bad weather.

Lt. Commander Algier Ricafrente, PCG spokesman, told The Times that as of 9 a.m., at least 3,599 passengers were affected by Pedring.

These passengers were in the ports of Tabaco, Pio Duran (both in Albay), Pilar in Sorsogon, Rapu-Rapu, Matnog, Bulan, Batangas, Lucena, Puerto Real, Calapan and Mamburao.

Ricafrente said that at least 86 trucks, 25 ships, four cars, 12 motor bancas were also not allowed to travel. Under Storm Signal No. 1, all seacraft weighing less than 1,000 tons are automatically barred to sail and prohibited to leave port.

Spared
Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan said that the country’s summer capital and the rest of the Cordillera Region where Typhoon Signal No. 3 was hoisted were spared from serious damage.

Pagasa placed all Cordillera provinces under public Signal No. 1 on Monday and raised it to Signal No. 3 on Tuesday when Typhoon Pedring made landfall.

Domogan, whose city was hammered by a previous storm, said that their safety was an answered prayer.

He himself monitored all areas that were hit by the typhoon and reported that only minimal damages were recorded.

There were no floods in City Camp Lagoon and no landslides have been reported.