Storm death toll reaches 17

At least 17 people were confirmed dead and four others missing from typhoon “Mina,” which weakened into a tropical storm as it headed for Japan yesterday.

And even as disaster officials struggled to get a clearer picture of Mina’s devastation, tropical depression “Lando” continued to approach western Palawan.

Lando, which weakened from a tropical storm, was 200 kilometers northwest of Puerto Princesa as of early yesterday, packing winds of up to 55 kph, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration or Pagasa. It also dumped rains on Mindoro.

The government announced yesterday the suspension of classes today in Metro Manila in the pre-school level after
the weather bureau hoisted Storm Signal No. 1 over the
metropolis and other areas in Luzon and the Visayas.

The Department of Education said the class suspension was made for the safety of students who wade through floodwaters following heavy rains.

PAGASA hoisted Signal 1 over Metro Manila and provinces nearby after tropical depression Lando re-entered the country through Palawan.

Lando killed 13 people last week in some parts of the Visayas before heading for Vietnam. It reversed its position and turned back to the Philippines, complicating emergency preparations.

Among the missing were two pilots of an S-211 jet who were on a search mission over South China Sea.

The latest confirmed fatalities from Mina included a six-year-old boy and a 69-year-old man who were buried in landslides in Kalinga, the Office of Civil Defense said.

A landslide in Barangay Taga, Pinupuk town in Kalinga buried six-year-old Jimmy Soriano, while another landslide in the nearby Barangay Bayaw killed 69-year-old Lawagan Baggay.

There were reports that at least 20 were missing in Kalinga and Apayao alone. In Pinukpuk town in Kalinga, landslides washed out houses of two families with eight members each, said Elvira Calina, OCD’s chief in that region.

In northern Cagayan, a 20-year-old man is missing and may have drowned, OCD said.

Mina’s damage to crops and livestock in Apayao, Kalinga, Benguet and Mountain Province was initially estimated at P13.924 million, OCD-CAR operations chief Jojo Valera said. Damage to infrastructure like roads and bridges was close to P17 million, he said.

In the Ilocos region, damage to agriculture and infrastructure was at P19 million and P13 million, respectively. Most of the damage was in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

In Cagayan Valley, Gov. Alvaro Antonio may declare a state of calamity as 60,000 families remain in evacuation centers because their villages are still flooded. Damage to agriculture and infrastructure was estimated at P100 million.

The municipalities of Solana, Tuao, Piat, Sto. Niño and Rizal were hardest hit by Mina, according to Cagayan Valley police director Chief Superintendent Ameto Tolentino.

Disaster relief officials said Mina affected close to half a million people in 19 provinces with more than 200,000 people moved to evacuation centers.

PAF jet still missing

Rescuers were also still looking for an Air Force S-211 jet with two pilots, which went missing in foul weather while searching for 26 fishermen whose boat sank last week off the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, the Air Force said.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the aircraft probably crashed in the South China Sea. The US Navy has dispatched an Orion surveillance aircraft to help in the search, he added.

The Coast Guard and Navy said there was also no sign of the capsized fishing vessel or any of its crew.

In northern Isabela, where Mina made landfall late Sunday, authorities were trying to get people to leave evacuation centers and return to their homes as the situation slowly returned to normal. “The effects were not as bad as we had anticipated,” Gov. Grace Padaca said. “We are now collating reports from the field to assess the damage to our rice and corn fields.”

Isabela provincial administrator Paul Fernandez said at least 10 towns in the province’s northern areas remained flooded.

The agriculture department said the storms damaged more than 6,000 hectares of agricultural crops worth over P100 million.

Nathaniel Cruz, Pagasa weather branch chief, said Lando was forecast to hit Mindoro last night and is expected to traverse the northern part of Bicol today.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Lando was estimated off the coast of Occidental Mindoro based on satellite and surface data.

It packed maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center. It was forecast to move east-northeast at 26 kph.

Storm signal no. 1 remained up in northern Palawan, including the Calamian Group of Islands and Cuyo Island, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, Romblon, Marinduque, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bataan, Bulacan, Quezon including Polillo Island, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay including Burias Island, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate including Ticao Island and Metro Manila.

Lando is expected to be at 140 kms east-northeast of Virac, Catanduanes this afternoon and at 820 kms northeast of Virac tomorrow afternoon. By Friday afternoon, it will be at 730 kms east-southeast of Okinawa, Japan.

TransCo finishes repair job

The National Transmission Corp. announced yesterday the completion of repairs on transmission lines damaged by Mina.

“We expect to restore the normal electricity loads in Isabela, Apayao and Cagayan as soon as all the distribution lines of the electric cooperatives are ready,” Guillermo Redoblado, TransCo vice president for Luzon operations and maintenance, said.

He stressed that all of TransCo’s 230-kV transmission lines in the area “remained robust and intact during the typhoon.” - Helen, Flores, Jaime Laude, Jun Elias, Charlie Lagasca, AP