IRIN
PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Fengshen death toll rises to 224
23 June 2008


MANILA, 23 June 2008 (IRIN) - Typhoon Fengshen moved out of the 
Philippines on 23 June towards China, leaving at least 224 dead, 
hundreds missing and thousands homeless, according to the Philippine 
National Red Cross and Office of Civil Defence. Heavy rains and winds of 
up to 195km an hour caused landslides, flash floods and storm surges.

The number of fatalities exludes the passengers and crew of the MV 
Princess of Stars, which sank off Romblon Island in the Visayas. The 
ferry, bound for Cebu Island, Central Visayas, was carrying more than 
800 people. Four bodies were washed ashore, while about 30 survivors 
were found. The rest remain unaccounted for, according to National 
Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) spokesman Anthony Golez.

"Our priority now is the relief and rescue operations for the victims of 
the typhoon, including those who are in the sunken ship," Golez told 
IRIN.

The island region of Western Visayas was worst hit and is the priority 
area for relief and rescue operations, Golez said.

"Last Saturday and Sunday [21 and 22 June], the province was one big 
sea," said Governor Sally Perez of Antique province in Western Visayas, 
where 34 people were found dead and 70 are still missing. Perez is the 
chief of the provincial disaster coordinating council.

In other areas, the water was reportedly as high as a double-storey 
house. In Iloilo, Western Visayas, about 30,000 residents reportedly 
climbed on to rooftops to flee the rushing water from an overflowing 
dam.

Aerial assessment

Golez said the government flew two C-130 planes to the area on 23 June 
to assess the damage and provide relief supplies. The strong winds had 
prevented the earlier delivery of goods by helicopter. Authorities say 
that only after the aerial assessment would they know the full extent of 
the damage.

"The priority is feeding our hungry people," Perez told IRIN. She added 
that they did not have sufficient clothing or medicines.

"We need drinking water, rice, noodles, blankets, and clothes," added 
Iloilo Congressman Raul Gonzalez Jr. "At the height of the typhoon on 
Saturday [21 June], the local government began distributing rice but it 
was spoiled by the torrential rain before it could be delivered by 
truck. Even the National Food Authority warehouse [where 
government-distributed rice is kept] was under water."

Many other areas of the country were under water. Typhoon Fengshen 
passed over central Luzon - the "rice granary" of the Philippines - on 
its way out of the country. Several provinces in the region were still 
submerged on 23 June, and fatal flash floods and landslides were 
reported in several parts of Mindanao on 21 June.

The Department of Agriculture reported that damage to crops had reached 
nearly P555 million (US$12.6 million), affecting an estimated 246,000 
hectares of rice farms.

Antique province alone estimated a loss of P100 million, said Perez. 
"About 2,000 hectares of agricultural land is now unusable," she said.

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