IRIN
PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Fengshen leaves at least 81 dead
22 June 2008


MANILA, 22 June 2008 (IRIN) - 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 
reported as high as a two story house, he said, adding that 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 target 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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Appropriate Donations for International Disaster/Humanitarian Needs
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International              web: www.cidi.org
.  Disaster Information          listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
.                              guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -