TYPHOON KILLS 16 IN PHILIPPINES
Communication outages, blackouts hit storm-ravaged areas
TYPHOON Mangkhut roared across the Philippines yesterday, after tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes to escape the 890km-wide storm. More than 17 hours after landfall, at least 16 deaths were reported, but there were no signs of the kind of devastation wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan five years ago.
Still, officials had barely begun to assess the damage. Some places could not be contacted because of communication outages, and several provinces had suffered complete power blackouts.
The storm arrived at 1.40am local time with maximum sustained winds of around 190kph.
By 7pm, Mangkhut’s eye had crossed Luzon, the Philippines’ largest island, and was about 240km off its west coast, headed for Hong Kong and southern China, according to the Philippine weather service.
The typhoon had weakened somewhat, but still had gusts of up to 190kph, the agency said.
A top government official, Frank Tokentino, said at least 16 people had been killed, including a family of four caught in a landslide in their home in the Cordillera mountains. Local media reported that two rescue workers were also killed in landslides.
Police said the body of another victim, a young girl, was found in the Marikina River in the eastern part of metropolitan Manila
Strong winds and heavy rain battered northern and central GOVERNOR ROY COOPER, on tropical storm Florence Luzon as the eye of Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the island early yesterday.
The eye made landfall over Baggao in Cagayan province and moved west across the country, hitting the opposite coast near Laoag City less than eight hours later.
Authorities said more than 105,000 people had taken shelter in evacuation centres as the typhoon was nearing.
Much of the planning for Mangkhut was informed by lessons learned from Typhoon Haiyan, the devastating 2013 storm that killed 6,000 people and left more than 4 million homeless.
The New York Times reporters Hannah Beech and Kimberly dela Cruz travelled along Luzon’s western and northern coasts yesterday.
Foliage, trees and rolling coconuts were strewn across the roads, which were deserted except for volunteer crews removing debris to make them passable and the occasional emergency vehicle.
In one community after another, they reported seeing downed trees and badly damaged buildings. Signs, tin roofs and gates that had been torn free flew about.
In Claveria, a corn- and ricegrowing area on the northern coast, the Antonio family had fled their home about 1am for sturdier shelter. Marck James Antonio, 24, stayed behind and was struck and gashed in the right temple by flying debris, but was conscious and moving around.
“This was the strongest and the worst storm that I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said his mother, Teresita Antonio, 54. “I was crying before because I don’t know how I will be able to afford to fix my house.”
“It was shaking like an earthquake,” said another resident, Robert Tumaneng, 55, a fish farmer. From a road above, the area where the fish ponds once were looked like a giant lake, with the tips of submerged palm trees and thatched roofs sticking out.
Farther east, in Sanchez Mira, more than 270 people had sought shelter at a community hall.
“Some people didn’t want to evacuate their homes but I forced them,” said Rewin Valenzuela, 48, a local leader. “We evacuated everyone to prevent loss of life.”
The winds made it difficult to stand outdoors, but some residents were returning home, carrying mattresses and plastic buckets with food and other provisions. The roofs had been torn off other houses and a few that were built on stilts listed dangerously.
The 12 million residents of the metropolitan Manila area, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, appeared to have been spared major destruction as the centre of the storm passed hundreds of kilometres to the north.
The megacity was hit by heavy rain and strong winds, with trees uprooted and flooding in some areas.