IRIN
PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Nuri leaves six dead, 5,000 displaced
21 August 2008


MANILA, 21 August 2008 (IRIN) - Typhoon Nuri, the 12th storm to hit the 
Philippines this year, was blowing out of the country on 21 August after 
dumping heavy rain across large parts of northern Luzon Island, causing 
landslides and flooding, and killing at least six people, disaster 
relief officials said.

Nuri slammed into Luzon on 20 August with maximum sustained winds of 
140km per hour at the centre and gusts of up to 170km per hour, 
uprooting trees, blowing away billboards and forcing the Luzon 
authorities to hoist warnings of possible storm surges along the 
northeastern seaboard.

The typhoon was last spotted 350km northwest of Laoag city, Ilocos 
Province, and barrelling in the general direction of Hong Kong, where it 
is forecast to make landfall by the morning of 22 August, the Philippine 
state weather bureau said. It continued, however, to bring heavy monsoon 
rains over the Ilocos region in northern Luzon, where regional disaster 
monitors had prepared evacuation contingencies.

Six people were reported killed by Nuri, including 72-year-old Petra 
Kadatar, who was crushed to death in a landslide in the mountain resort 
city of Baguio. Three children, aged 1-10, were also killed when a 
landslide buried their home in Benguet Province. Power was temporarily 
cut off in Apayao Province, although it was restored within hours.

Displaced

Some 5,000 people were displaced by flooding in the Ilocos and La Union 
regions, and some 145 houses remained under water on the evening of 20 
August, as Nuri was exiting, the National Disaster Coordinating Council 
(NDCC) reported.

Some roads in northern Luzon were also impassable due to landslides or 
flooding, though damage was not as extensive as initially feared due to 
the high level of preparedness, it said.

Manila experienced heavy rains, forcing the authorities to call off 
school classes on 20 August.

"We were prepared. We were not just looking at rain and strong winds; we 
were also looking at potential storm surges and strong waves in coastal 
areas," said deputy NDCC administrator Anthony Golez, adding that Luzon 
provinces had been forewarned about Typhoon Nuri and that contingency 
measures had been in place even before it made landfall.

"We still expect some heavy rain, but less frequent than yesterday. 
Northern Luzon is still stormy with monsoon rains as Karen (Nuri's local 
name) departs," Golez said.

Roberto Nacienceno, general manager of the Metro Manila Development 
Authority, reported minor flooding in some parts of the capital, but 
said there were no mass evacuations, unlike in previous storms.

The Hong Kong Observatory meanwhile says Nuri will move towards southern 
China, bringing wind and thunderstorms. The Chinese authorities issued a 
level-two disaster control emergency response for Nuri, which was 
expected to make landfall on southeastern coastal areas on 22 or 23 
August, it said.

Improved preparedness

An average of 20 typhoons blow into the Philippines from the Pacific 
annually, some of them devastating and leading to massive loss of lives 
and property. The Philippine government, however, has over recent years, 
been increasingly working with international agencies, including UN 
agencies, to increase disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.

Disaster management is localised through various regional disaster 
coordinating councils, which coordinate with the NDCC in Manila, 
according to the NDCC. Foreign agencies like the International 
Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), UN agencies and humanitarian 
organisations provide assistance and resources as required.

According to the office of the UN resident coordinator in the 
Philippines, the NDCC prepositioned three days worth of food and 
supplies at the local level, and an additional three days at the 
regional level, and were not anticipating requesting international 
assistance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -