ShareThisQUEZON CITY (PhilAmPress) — Metro Manila and almost entire Luzon and many parts of Visayas stood still on Tuesday and Wednesday as strong typhoon Glenda battered the areas, knocking down power and communications, destroying properties and leaving at least 40 persons dead, many missing and thousands stranded.
At least 85 percent of Luzon was without power as of Wednesday afternoon and power firms worked overtime to restore electricity to homes. Classes, government offices, including those of courts, were suspended due to the typhoon and the floods it caused. Banks and other private offices were also forced to stop operations.
Undersecretary Alexander Pama of the National Disaster and Rehabilitation Coordinating Council said as of Thursday, the death toll from the typhoon was at 38 with e people missing while 10 others were wounded.
Pama said 22 of the 38 fatalities were from the heavily hit Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon); five from Region 4B (MIMAROPA); four from Bicol Region; three from Region 3 (Central Luzon); and two each from Metro Manila and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas).
Pama said at least 192,131 families or 1,006,360 individuals were affected by the typhoon. At least 1,219 evacuation centers are catering to the affected population.
The strong winds and rains brought by Glenda also damaged 19,257 houses, and totally destroyed 7,002 more.
Meanwhile, P45 million worth of infrastructures were damaged. The Bicol region reported P668,233,477 worth of losses in the agriculture sector.
As of Thursday morning, 15 roads and 4 bridges in Regions 3, 4A, 4B, 5, and 8 remain impassable.
Telecommunications (Telcos) giants Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart Communications have deployed generator sets in strategic areas to keep vital facilities operating.
In a text message sent by PLDT and Smart, the respective Telcos said that deploying of generator sets will also help speed up restoration of normal service.
Telecommunication facilities of PLDT, Smart and Sun Cellular in Metro Manila, Regions 3, 4 and 5 are unscathed by typhoon “Glenda”.
However, widespread commercial power outrages have disrupted normal services in various areas.
In the wake of the typhoon, some power lines and lampposts were toppled, many trees fell down and landslides were seen stopping traffic for hours in areas affected.
Albay, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and other areas in Metro Manila, Rizal and Zambales have declared state of calamity to be able to step up search and rescue operations and extend assistance to those affected by the typhoon.
Albay’s coconut industry lost some P1.3 billion to typhoon ‘Glenda’, affecting 70% of 900 million trees, covering 9,415 hectares.
Ed Bailon, Philippine Coconut Authority regional information officer said that some of the damages can be recovered but it wil take for three years.
During the disaster damage assesment system meeting called by Albay Governor Joey Salceda, he explained that coconut trees partialy damaged wil be subject to fertilization.
Bailon added that replanting of coconut trees should be done while others could stil be saved.
While Glenda has left the Philippines and headed to China, another weather disturbance has been monitored east of northern Mindanao which may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) within the day, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
At least 20 people were reported killed due to strong winds, waves and rains spawned by Typhoon “Glenda,” the seventh weather disturbance to hit the country as of Wednesday. The number of fatalities may yet increase as search and rescue operations moved on.
President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed concerned government agencies to expedite clearing and recovery operations in areas hit by typhoon “Glenda” to ensure an early return to normalcy.
Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported that clearing and recovery teams are working round-the-clock to clear major roads of debris and fallen electric posts and cables.
Coloma said the President also ordered the National Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and its local councils to fast-track the recovery operations after typhoon “Glenda” made landfall in Bicol, Southern Luzon, Metro Manila and Central Luzon.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) identified two of the fatalities as Lourdes Lim, 25, of Allen, Samar who was killed after being hit by a falling electric post and Reynaldo Meneses, 49, who was crushed to death by a falling acacia tree in Barangay Tabang, Plaridel town, Bulacan.
In Cavite, three persons including a senior citizen, 22-year-old man and an 11-month-old baby girl were killed.
The 22-year-old victim died after being hit by a falling post while the senior citizen was crushed to death when hit by a tree while the infant died after being hit by debris from a collapsing retaining wall.
Two people died in the National Capital Region (NCR) while several hundreds were evacuated from their homes after Typhoon “Glenda” battered Metro Manila, Chairman Francis Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
During the meeting of the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) at their headquarters in Makati City, Tolentino said the two fatalities were from Pasig and Valenzuela cities during the onslaught of typhoon Glenda on Wednesday morning.
They were identified as John Patrick Diaz, 20, fire volunteer in Pasig, who died when he fell and his head hit by a hollow block while lowering a flag in a barangay hall.
Jackielyn Sumampong, 27, resident of Kanumay East in Valenzuela, died after she was hit by the collapsing wall of an adjacent factory near their house. It added five persons were injured in Valenzuela due to the collapsed wall.
Two persons in Quezon City were also injured due to a collapsed wall while one was reported injured in Makati City because of a flying roof.
A mother and her two children — one pregnant — died around 3:00 a.m. Wednesday when a wall of an abandoned house adjacent to their house collapsed and pinned them down while fast asleep at the height of typhoon “Glenda.”
Police identified the victims as Nenita Artificio, 48; her pregnant daughter Arlene; and Adrian, 8; all residents of Barangay Market View in Lucena City in Quezon.
The city suffered considerable damage, especially the coastal barangays.
Most of houses in Barangay Dalahican lost their roofs due to the strong winds of “Glenda.” The city was also in darkness since 2 a.m. Wednesday. In some barangays, century-old trees were uprooted and electric poles block and litter the streets.
Huge narra trees were also uprooted and blocked the national highways of Lopez and Calauag towns, resulting to thousands of travelers and motorists stranded on the road, awaiting rescue.
Quezon Governor David Suarez has dispatched two rescue teams to the third and fourth districts of the province, where information are scarce.
The NDRRMC said 33,802 families were forced to evacuate by nationwide.
Social welfare authorities provided emergency provisions to those affected and evacuees.
Typhoon “Glenda” exited the country Thursday morning while another weather disturbance has been monitored east of northern Mindanao was headed to the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and may enter within the day.
PAGASA weather forecaster Buddy Javier said as of 4 a.m. Thursday the eye of typhoon “Glenda” was spotted at 380 km west southwest of Dagupan City (15.8ºN, 116.8ºE) packed with maximum sustained winds of 130 kph and gustiness of up to 160 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 20 kph.
He added all public storm warnings have been lifted.
He said that typhoon Glenda has a very slim chance to recurve or return to the country as it will continue to move towards China.
However, Javier said typhoon Glenda will enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring occasional rains over Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and the provinces of Mindoro, Palawan, La Union, Benguet and Pangasinan.
He added rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms.
Javier said that a new Low Pressure Area (LPA) was spotted at 940 km east of northern Mindanao (10.2°N, 135.6°E).
Javier said the LPA is expected to enter PAR within the day but it will not directly affect the country as of yet.
Based on their models, Javier said the LPA has high chance to develop into tropical cyclone since it is still in the sea.
He added once the LPA intensify into tropical cyclone inside PAR it will be locally named “Henry”, the eight tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the third for this month of July.
The state weather bureau also issued gale warning as strong to gale force winds associated with typhoon “Glenda” to affect the western seaboard of Luzon.
“Fishing boats and other small sea crafts are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves,” it warned.
Central Luzon
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Three persons were killed while two others were injured as typhoon Glenda on Wednesday unleashed its fury in Central Luzon.
Based on the latest report from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-3 (RDRRMC-3), the fatalities were identified as Reynaldo Meneses Hernandez, 49, a resident from Barangay Tabang, Plaridel, Bulacan and Mario Paulo, 52, of Barangay Burgos, San Antonio, Zambales, who were both hit by fallen trees. A woman in Lubao, Pampanga also died but was not immediately identified
Those injured were Francis Patawaran of Limay, Bataan due to electrocution and a certain Cruz, also from Limay, Bataan, who was hit by a falling tree.
Both of them are now in stable condition after being given immediate treatment.
The RDRRMC also reported that there are 801 families or 3,164 individuals from the flood and landslide prone areas in the region who were brought to the various evacuation centers.
In Aurora, a total of 50 families or 195 persons from Barangays Ibuna and Aplaya in Dingalan town were transferred to safer areas.
In Zambales, 72 families or 315 individuals from the towns of Castillejos, Sta Cruz, Masinloc and San Marcelino were also brought to the various evacuation centers in the province.
In Pampanga, a total of 67 families or 187 persons from the landslide prone Barangay San Juan Bano, Arayat were evacuated to the clubhouse pavillion in the said town.
The Pampanga PDRRM also implemented forced evacuation to those residents living in the coastal towns such as Sasmuan, San Simon, Macabebe and Lubao due to storm surge threat.
In Bulacan, a total of 46 families or 198 persons in Barangay Salambao, Obando town were also brought to the evacuation center.
In Bataan, some 566 families or 2,269 individuals from the towns of Limay, Pilar, Orani, Samal, Mariveles and Balanga City are now in various evacuation centers.
“Aside from the pre-emptive evacuation implemented by the local officials and disaster councils in the region, forced evacuation were also enforced to ensure the safety of the residents,” Josefina Timoteo, RDRRMC chairperson and Office of Civil Defense regional director, said.
The RDRRMC also reported that the water elevation in the major dams in Central Luzon is way below the spilling level despite the stormy weather.
Power interruption also hit some parts in the region due to the tripping off of some lines and feeders as caused by strong winds.
At present, the electric power supply in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Aurora have already been restored.