15,000 evacuated as storm heads towards central Philippines Options

[Polvoron]

LEGASPI, Philippines (AFP) - Thousands of people living around Mayon volcano in the eastern Philippine province of Albay were evacuated amid fears that an approaching storm could trigger fresh mudslides, officials said.

The compulsory evacuation came as a fresh typhoon was heading towards the central Philippines bringing heavy rains to a large area, including the Bicol region which includes Albay.

Last week, super typhoon Durian brought heavy rains and strong winds to Bicol, triggering avalanches of volcanic debris from the slopes of Mayon and burying entire villages, leaving over 1,200 people dead or missing.

Tens of thousands remain homeless and are living in crowded evacuation camps in the area, while others have returned to a moonscape of rock and debris where their villages once stood to retrieve belongings from the mud.

"We have evacuated some 15,000 people from 12 barangays (villages). These are the very vulnerable places because of the strong rains caused by the new typhoon," Albay governor Fernando Gonzales told AFP.

"We don't want to take any more chances," he said, adding that those evacuated were being taken to temporary "holding areas" where their respective mayors could supervise a quick emergency escape in case of fresh mudflows.

In nearby Daraga town, at the foot of Mayon volcano, some 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of Manila, people were being boarded onto trucks to be moved out.

Parents accompanied their children to evacuation centres, carrying plastic bags holding their few belongings. Other people fled to the safety of nearby mountains on their own rather than go to government centres.

"These villages are already surrounded by water and in case of flash floods they will have no place to go. So we are putting them in a holding area and after the storm they will be returned to their houses," said Daraga Mayor Gerry Jaucian.

He said there was a danger of flash floods because the nearby river was already silted up from deposits washed down by the last typhoon.

The mayor warned that "there are still a lot of deposits on Mayon volcano" which could again form deadly mudslides if another typhoon hit.

"We are praying that the unexpected does not happen again," he said.

Flights to Legaspi City were cancelled as heavy rains battered the area, leaking through roofs already damaged by typhoon Durian.

Tropical storm Utor intensified into a typhoon as it neared the central Philippines.

As of 11:00 am (0300 GMT) Friday, typhoon Utor was charted about 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the central island of Samar, moving northwest at 22 kilometres (13.6 miles) per hour with maximum winds of 120 kilometres (74.4 miles) per hour, the weather station said.

It is expected to hit Samar and the northern half of Cebu island later Saturday and will be over the central island of Panay by Sunday, the weather station said, adding it had also brought heavy rains to Bicol where a storm alert has been hoisted.

The third level of a three-step storm alert has been raised over the central islands of Samar, Leyte, Masbate, Dinagat and the northern end of Cebu. Lower storm alerts have been raised over nearby parts of the country including the Bicol region.

[Ek-ek]

The typhoon is 120- 160 kph winds

[islander]

One storm after the other is rough. That could explain why some are moving to south of PHI. which is typhoon free. Anyway, here is lastest map of storm track from Japan Meterological: There site is the following: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

(IMG:http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/images/zoom/0622_l.png)

This post has been edited by islander: Dec 9 2006, 09:17 PM

[dalawapo]

maybe the pacific islanders migrated out of the philippines in ancient times because of the many typhoon, earthquake, volcano exploseions n other natural disasters (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[bisaya]

we were hit by typhoon yesterday. it was strong very strong that many roofs and billboards were blown away. a portion of our roof was not spared by the strong wind and heavy rain. a flying object hit the roof and destroyed it. so we literaly had rains pouring inside a portion of our house. luckily it wasnt the bedrooms or else we would have no place to sleep.

[pulu-pulu]

^that's what happened to our house one time except we think it was a small tornado that tore off part of the roof.

^^huh, tell that to the micronesians; I read that in the old days, there would be a rope for every member of the family and in bad typhoons, they tied themselves to the support posts of the house.

[crinovski]

^that's what happened to our house one time except we think it was a small tornado that tore off part of the roof.

^^huh, tell that to the micronesians; I read that in the old days, there would be a rope for every member of the family and in bad typhoons, they tied themselves to the support posts of the house.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)
galing... galing!!!

[Polvoron]

maybe the pacific islanders migrated out of the philippines in ancient times because of the many typhoon, earthquake, volcano exploseions n other natural disasters (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

thats because they r just a bunch of pussies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_twisted.gif)

[crinovski]

maybe the pacific islanders migrated out of the philippines in ancient times because of the many typhoon, earthquake, volcano exploseions n other natural disasters (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

i wonder how it is possible that SOMETIMES you have a correct spelling of the PHILIPPINES...(you're annoying)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)
therefore i conclude that you are the one of the descendants of those pacific islanders!!!

[Rocky Cuong V]

People in the other towns should be ready with shelters and soup chickens.

[TakTAk-Boy]

Man the people in the philippines just cant seem to catch a break. and its usually the hard to reach towns that seem to suffer the worst.

[islander]

we were hit by typhoon yesterday. it was strong very strong that many roofs and billboards were blown away. a portion of our roof was not spared by the strong wind and heavy rain. a flying object hit the roof and destroyed it. so we literaly had rains pouring inside a portion of our house. luckily it wasnt the bedrooms or else we would have no place to sleep.

Thats bad. At least you and your family are alright. One of the problems with those storms are the flying objects which are traveling really fast. You now need to get a canvas over that part of the roof that was blown apart until you rebuild. Is your home all wood or half wood & cement blocks with rebar? If its half you might look into getting changed to all cement block and roof. With all those storms is it expensive to get Typhone insurance. Here they will only give Hurricane insurance if your home is all cement or cement with large metal roof.

This post has been edited by islander: Dec 10 2006, 09:40 AM

[Ek-ek]

‘Seniang’ kills 5, injures 6

90,000 evacuated, 5 provinces powerless


Inquirer, Associated Press
Last updated 05:33pm (Mla time) 12/10/2006


ILOILO CITY -- (9TH UPDATE) Typhoon “Seniang” (international codename: Utor) left five persons dead in the Visayas as the typhoon entered Panay Island Sunday, downing power lines along its path that left the provinces of Capiz and Aklan, including the resort island of Boracay, without electricity.

A four-year-old girl died in Tacloban City while four others in Capiz were killed as Seniang whipped the island. Six others in Capiz and Bantayan Island in Cebu were injured.

The typhoon also forced thousands to flee flooded and damaged homes and left the prospect of a bleak Christmas for many residents of Leyte, Samar, Bantayan Island in Cebu, Panay and Boracay Island.

Seniang displaced nearly 3,000 families and destroyed properties initially placed at P32 million in the different parts of Eastern Visayas alone, according to initial reports gathered by the regional disaster coordinating council.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), in its Sunday morning advisory, said a total of 17,525 families or 90,295 persons were brought to 59 evacuation centers in the Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Central and Eastern Visayas regions.

Seniang hit the country little more than a week after typhoon Reming (international codename: Durian) slammed into southern Luzon, triggering mudslides that buried villages and left more than 1,200 people dead or missing around Mayon volcano in Albay province.

The approach of the new storm prompted Albay officials to evacuate some 59,000 people for fear or renewed mudslides

The storm also stranded close to 9,000 passengers and more than 300 vehicles in various ports in the affected regions as authorities suspended all sea travel.

The islands of Samar, Leyte, Biliran and Bantayan were still without electricity until Sunday. Seniang destroyed infrastructure, homes and electric facilities as it exited Eastern Visayas Saturday night and headed for Bantayan and Boracay off Panay Island by Sunday morning.

The NDCC also said power was out in the whole province of Marinduque

Seniang made its landfall near Guiuan, Eastern Samar around noon Saturday and moved toward the northern part of Tacloban City, southern part of Samar and into Biliran Island in the afternoon, before moving to Bantayan in Cebu late in the evening.

The latest advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) late Sunday afternoon said the storm had maintained its strength of 120-kilometer per hour (kph) winds with gusts of up to 150 kph, after crossing Occidental Mindoro and was in the vicinity of the Calamian group of islands.

It is forecast to be on its way out of the country, 390 kilometers northwest of Coron, Palawan, on Monday afternoon and well over the South China Sea the next day.

At the height of the typhoon on Saturday afternoon, the gustiness of the wind reached 136 kph, according to PAGASA in Tacloban.

Three persons were also believed to be trapped inside a small inter-island ferry that capsized due to strong winds at the Culasi port in Roxas City, according to the local Coast Guard, which was undertaking search operations.

In Boracay Island, strong winds whipped by Seniang toppled electric posts, coconut trees and damaged houses and resorts.

Police Officer 2 Jose Rupe Pangonon of the Boracay Special Tourist Police Office said electricity had been down since 9 p.m. Saturday and most resorts that were teeming with tourists for the holiday season were powered by generators.

Trips of ferryboats between the mainland and Boracay had been suspended.

Superintendent William Macavinta, Aklan provincial police director, said a boat operator from Boracay was killed after his vessel capsized. He said officials were checking reports of other people missing from the port town of Caticlan across Boracay.

The Capiz police reported that one-year-old Angeline Besana, of Bago, Barangay Chiquito, Panay, died when their house was hit by a fallen tree shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Her mother was seriously injured and is confined in a hospital here, police said. Also killed were Pacquito Recto, Delly Adremesin and Delly's son Jonard, all of San Fernando, Romblon, according to reports reaching the police here.

The Tacloban City police also reported that 4-year-old April Felicen was pinned to death by a falling tree at their home in Barangay Bagacay, a village along the national highway located some 12 km from Tacloban City proper, on Saturday.

Felicen's six-year-old brother, John Rey, was seriously injured in the incident and brought to a hospital in the city.

Another girl was seriously injured by a tree that fell on her family's hut in Barangay Cabugnan in Tanauan, Leyte late Saturday, according to Tanauan Mayor Roque Tiu. The girl was brought to a hospital for treatment, he said.

In Tacloban City, the city disaster coordinating council had initially reported that more than 600 families had fled Saturday to evacuation centers in the city proper.

Radio reports also said that hundreds had evacuated to safe grounds at the height of the typhoon, particularly towns in the northern part of Leyte, in the southwestern part of Samar, and southern and southeastern part of Eastern Samar.

Residents in at least two villages in San Francisco town on Panaon Island in Southern Leyte were also ordered evacuated Saturday noon by Governor Rosette Lerias as these were landslide-prone areas.

A storm surge occurred late Saturday night in nearby Basey town in Samar, but no one was reported hurt by the rising sea water.

Some areas in Tacloban City remained flooded such as parts of the V&G Better Homes Subdivision, Barangay San Jose, Barangay Apitong, among other areas.

The Leyte II Electric Cooperative (Leyeco II) here reported that it might take them one to two weeks to repair the electric lines. In the city proper alone, more than a dozen wooden poles were toppled by the typhoon.

Leyeco II has ordered the withdrawal of its 12-man task force from Albay’s disaster areas since its work in helping restore power in the Bicol Region was almost done, according to Macel Avestruz of Leyeco II. She said the task force was set to leave Albay on Sunday afternoon for Tacloban.

The National Transmission Corp. (TransCo), which cut its power supply early Saturday afternoon at the height of the typhoon, has not re-supplied the local electric cooperatives in Leyte and Samar.

Telephone lines were also affected by Seniang's strong winds but cell phones could still be contacted. Many cellular phones, however, were dead on Saturday as the power cut-off prevented many from recharging their cell phone batteries. Some residents used their car chargers or went to commercial establishments with power generators.

Relief operations are now going on in different evacuation centers and in churches, warehouses and gymnasiums where some of the typhoon victims sought refuge.

The disaster coordinating councils in the city, province and the region are still gathering typhoon reports from their respective jurisdictions.

Public storm signal number 3 (100-185 kph winds) was up over Occidental Mindoro and the Calamian group while signal number 2 (60-100 kph) was over Oriental Mindoro and Lubang Island.

Signal number 1 (30-60 kph winds) was up over Romblon, Marinduque, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales, Metro Manila, Aklan, Antique, northern Palawan and Cuyo Island.

Storm signals elsewhere have been lowered.

With reports from Felipe Celino, Nestor Burgos, Vicente S. Labro, Jani Arnaiz, Joey Gabieta and Jhunnex Napallacan

[bisaya]

Thats bad. At least you and your family are alright. One of the problems with those storms are the flying objects which are traveling really fast. You now need to get a canvas over that part of the roof that was blown apart until you rebuild. Is your home all wood or half wood & cement blocks with rebar? If its half you might look into getting changed to all cement block and roof. With all those storms is it expensive to get Typhone insurance. Here they will only give Hurricane insurance if your home is all cement or cement with large metal roof.

our house is made of concrete cement. but there is a portion where we install a roof made of clear plastic sheets to let the natural light in, it helps save energy and reduce our electric bill. there would have been no problem with it, if it was not hit by a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_smile.gif) it was a big UFO probably heavy UFO because it created a big hole in our roof. if it was light it would not have created such a big damage to it.