Typhoon Fengshen, the first of many typhoons expected to sweep through the Philippines in the months ahead, has killed at least 81 people and displaced thousands due to landslides and flashfloods.
According to initial data of the National Coordination Council, about 40,000 families are affected nationwide.
“We did not expect this at all because of the behavior of the typhoon track,” the National Disaster Coordination Centre (NDCC) spokesman, Anthony Golez, told IRIN. “It changes direction from time to time,” he explained.
Hardest hit was the western Visayas Island, where flood waters were reportedly as high as a two story house.
Iloilo and Antique provinces, as well as the entire Panay Island, were also badly hit.
According to Iloilo congressman Raul Gonzalez Jr, a large part of Jaro town was now under water.
“We’re going to need rubber boats to evacuate people. Vehicles can no longer move around,” he said.
Thousands seek higher ground
Around 30,000 people in Iloilo reportedly climbed rooftops to flee the rushing waters from an overflowing man-made dam. Fifty-nine were reported dead in Iloilo alone.
On 22 June, a ship carrying about 700 passengers was also found capsized in the waters of Romblon - another island of the western Visayas.
At least four people from the ship were found dead in nearby villages while the others remain missing. Four more were reported dead in other areas in Visayas.
But casualty figures remain unclear.
“We’ve been getting sketchy reports from our regional offices. We have problems with the communication lines,” Golez said.
Unlike other areas of the country, the western Visayas was unable to prepare for the full strength of the typhoon after the weather bureau failed to raise the storm alert in time.
In Bicol Province of southern Luzon Island – where the storm alert was earlier raised - the local government had earlier ordered the pre-emptive evacuation of about 25,000 families or 200,000 people. Travel by air, land, and water were also cancelled in many areas in the country, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.
The government’s weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), only released the storm alert on 19 June.
"Initially, all the forecasts including those from meteorologists in the United States, Japan, and other countries, said the typhoon would not hit the Philippines. Around Thursday afternoon, we changed our forecast saying it's going to hit the Samar and Bicol region," director Prisco Nilo of PAGASA told IRIN.
"It did hit Samar [in the Eastern Visayas]. But after crossing Samar, we noticed some changes again,” he said. “It was going to move towards northern Panay Island and Mindoro Island [located southwest of Luzon]. That's when we raised the signal to number 3 in the area," he added. Typhoon signals in the Philippines range from one to four with four being the strongest.
“We did not expect this,” Gonzalez said. “This is the worst typhoon [in the western Visayas] in a decade.”
The storm missed the Bicol region, which is usually the hardest hit by typhoons.
Cedric Daez of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council confirmed that they had “decamped” the evacuees on 21 June.
Strongest storm this year
Locally named “Frank,” typhoon Fengshen packed winds of up to 195km hour.
"This is the strongest typhoon that has hit the country so far this year," Nilo said.
The storm slowed a little to 140kph on the morning of 22 June as it hit Luzon Island, the largest in the Philippines, where it struck the country’s capital Manila, cutting electricity and leaving many areas flooded. Some families residing near rivers were evacuated.
On 21 June, Philippine President Arroyo called the National Disaster Coordination Centre for an emergency meeting to discuss rescue and relief operations.
According to the office of the UN Resident Representative in the Philippines, no request for assistance has yet been received from the government.
Typhoon Fengshen is expected to leave the Philippine area by 25 June. As of 22 June, it is moving northwest towards central Luzon and then northern Luzon.
Officials cannot say if the worst is over. "We don't know yet. The typhoon is slow moving," Golez said.
Search and rescue efforts continue
Although the government has targeted rescue and relief operations in Iloilo and neighboring provinces, heavy flooding have further isolated these areas.
“The weather and flooding does not enable us yet to transport relief goods and rescue equipment,” NDCC’s Golez said. “We will fly to Iloilo using C-130 planes,” he said.
“The rains were non-stop from Thursday (19 June) until Saturday afternoon (21 June) here in Maguindanao Province,” Leo Alisias of the Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) told IRIN after the Risao River overflowed.
“Our priority right now is search and rescue for the missing and stranded residents, Alisias said. “It’s difficult to operate because we don’t have electricity It’s hard to communicate with the central office in Manila,” he said.
“Food assistance is also necessary,” added Elsie Amil of the region’s social welfare department, reporting large areas of farmland are now submerged. “The farms are totally destroyed,” Alisias said.
“Livestock – including cows, carabaos, and goats - also died,” Amil said. “The rains came at night. It was dark. They couldn’t find higher grounds,” she said.
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According to initial data of the National Coordination Council, about 40,000 families are affected nationwide.
“We did not expect this at all because of the behavior of the typhoon track,” the National Disaster Coordination Centre (NDCC) spokesman, Anthony Golez, told IRIN. “It changes direction from time to time,” he explained.
Hardest hit was the western Visayas Island, where flood waters were reportedly as high as a two story house.
Iloilo and Antique provinces, as well as the entire Panay Island, were also badly hit.
According to Iloilo congressman Raul Gonzalez Jr, a large part of Jaro town was now under water.
“We’re going to need rubber boats to evacuate people. Vehicles can no longer move around,” he said.
Thousands seek higher ground
Around 30,000 people in Iloilo reportedly climbed rooftops to flee the rushing waters from an overflowing man-made dam. Fifty-nine were reported dead in Iloilo alone.
Reuters video short on the rising |
At least four people from the ship were found dead in nearby villages while the others remain missing. Four more were reported dead in other areas in Visayas.
But casualty figures remain unclear.
“We’ve been getting sketchy reports from our regional offices. We have problems with the communication lines,” Golez said.
Unlike other areas of the country, the western Visayas was unable to prepare for the full strength of the typhoon after the weather bureau failed to raise the storm alert in time.
In Bicol Province of southern Luzon Island – where the storm alert was earlier raised - the local government had earlier ordered the pre-emptive evacuation of about 25,000 families or 200,000 people. Travel by air, land, and water were also cancelled in many areas in the country, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.
The government’s weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), only released the storm alert on 19 June.
"Initially, all the forecasts including those from meteorologists in the United States, Japan, and other countries, said the typhoon would not hit the Philippines. Around Thursday afternoon, we changed our forecast saying it's going to hit the Samar and Bicol region," director Prisco Nilo of PAGASA told IRIN.
"It did hit Samar [in the Eastern Visayas]. But after crossing Samar, we noticed some changes again,” he said. “It was going to move towards northern Panay Island and Mindoro Island [located southwest of Luzon]. That's when we raised the signal to number 3 in the area," he added. Typhoon signals in the Philippines range from one to four with four being the strongest.
“We did not expect this,” Gonzalez said. “This is the worst typhoon [in the western Visayas] in a decade.”
The storm missed the Bicol region, which is usually the hardest hit by typhoons.
Cedric Daez of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council confirmed that they had “decamped” the evacuees on 21 June.
Strongest storm this year
Locally named “Frank,” typhoon Fengshen packed winds of up to 195km hour.
"This is the strongest typhoon that has hit the country so far this year," Nilo said.
 Photo: Luis Liwanag/IRIN  |
| Evacuees at a welfare centre in Manila. Thousands of families are now feared displaced. |
On 21 June, Philippine President Arroyo called the National Disaster Coordination Centre for an emergency meeting to discuss rescue and relief operations.
According to the office of the UN Resident Representative in the Philippines, no request for assistance has yet been received from the government.
Typhoon Fengshen is expected to leave the Philippine area by 25 June. As of 22 June, it is moving northwest towards central Luzon and then northern Luzon.
Officials cannot say if the worst is over. "We don't know yet. The typhoon is slow moving," Golez said.
Search and rescue efforts continue
Although the government has targeted rescue and relief operations in Iloilo and neighboring provinces, heavy flooding have further isolated these areas.
“The weather and flooding does not enable us yet to transport relief goods and rescue equipment,” NDCC’s Golez said. “We will fly to Iloilo using C-130 planes,” he said.
“The rains were non-stop from Thursday (19 June) until Saturday afternoon (21 June) here in Maguindanao Province,” Leo Alisias of the Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) told IRIN after the Risao River overflowed.
“Our priority right now is search and rescue for the missing and stranded residents, Alisias said. “It’s difficult to operate because we don’t have electricity It’s hard to communicate with the central office in Manila,” he said.
“Food assistance is also necessary,” added Elsie Amil of the region’s social welfare department, reporting large areas of farmland are now submerged. “The farms are totally destroyed,” Alisias said.
“Livestock – including cows, carabaos, and goats - also died,” Amil said. “The rains came at night. It was dark. They couldn’t find higher grounds,” she said.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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