MANILA, Philippines - While much of the nation prepared to celebrate the New Year, families in areas hit by Tropical Storm Seniang mourned as the death toll climbed to 53 yesterday.
Seniang was downgraded to a tropical depression with winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center, but it spawned deadly landslides and heavy flooding.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 12 incidents of widespread flooding and 14 landslides due to the heavy rains dumped by Seniang over Eastern and Central Visayas, Davao region and Northern Mindanao.
Most of the fatalities came from Central Visayas: three in Bohol, 13 in Cebu, four in Mahaplag, Leyte; eight in Catbalogan, Samar; two in Bukidnon, and one each in Misamis Oriental, Compostela Valley, Butuan City and Agusan del Norte.
The NDRRMC report, however, did not include the five reported deaths in Tanauan, Leyte, two more in another town and 11 more buried in landslides in Catbalogan City whose bodies were retrieved yesterday morning.
Officials stressed the number of fatalities from the storm could increase, taking note of the number of people buried in the landslides in Catbalogan.
Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 19 people, including a three-year-old girl, buried in the landslide that hit three villages in Barangay Mercedes, Catbalogan City.
“As of now, retrieval operations are still ongoing,” Tan said.
The NDRRMC added 27,397 families or 121,737 people, excluding those from Eastern Visayas, were affected or displaced by the storm in Central and Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Davao region.
Of this number, a total 5,046 families or more than 15,000 individuals are now staying in 79 evacuations centers on New Year’s Eve.
As of yesterday, the NDRRMC also reported 26 people were injured and eight others still missing in two separate sea mishaps and tornadoes that hit some areas in Eastern and Central Visayas.
A tornado reportedly destroyed several houses in Borongan, Eastern Samar last Tuesday.
The Coast Guard reported 17 tourists were rescued when a passenger boat capsized in El Nido, Palawan while four were reported missing when their motorboat sailing from Araceli town at the height of stormy weather failed to arrive in the island town of Cuyo.
Seniang affected a total of 839 barangays in 74 municipalities, 10 cities, 12 provinces and five regions, with most of the reported casualties accounted for, except in the aforementioned landslides and flashfloods in three localities.
Restore links
President Aquino has directed his Cabinet to ensure the needs of those affected by the storm are adequately met.
Aquino ordered the restoration of vital infrastructure and transport links in the areas hit by Seniang in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson reported that they were working to make all major roads passable to ensure rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts are unhampered.
Singson said Daang Maharlika from Benit Port in San Ricardo to Tacloban City was already passable to all types of vehicles as of yesterday morning.
As of Tuesday night, Singson said the Catbalogan section of Daang Maharlika had also become passable half-lane.
“But our DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) people are still working on it,” Singson said, adding the road is expected to be opened completely by noon yesterday.
In Misamis Oriental, the provincial government has reported that wide areas in the province are still flooded. The Mambayaan bridge in Balingasag town that connects the rest of the province was washed away by floods.
Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Emano also reported the initial cost of damage to infrastructure in the province has been placed at P400 million.
The NDRRMC also reported that a total of 43 roads and 22 bridges were still not passable as of yesterday.
In an earlier briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government was hoping there would be no casualties and that it had prepared sufficiently for Seniang.
Lacierda stressed the government had evacuated residents in areas to be affected by the storm.
“Preemptive and forced evacuations were imposed and local government units are currently serving the families in evacuation centers. All systems are in place and the field office is ready for any help needed by the LGUs (local government units),” Lacierda said.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said that despite revelries for the New Year, social workers will continue their work to ensure the basic needs of the storm survivors are addressed.
Soliman said 15,277 families or 65,995 persons are still staying in 283 evacuation centers in the affected regions.
Apparently, many were caught unaware by the amount of rainfall brought by Seniang.
Many roads became impassable to all types of vehicles, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in various seaports and forcing the cancellation of domestic flights.
“Mala-Ondoy ang baha at ang lakas ng ulan (the amount of rainfall was heavy like that of Ondoy) which started three days ago, until now,” a resident of Catbalogan City said yesterday, referring to the amount of rainfall by the tropical storm that inundated Metro Manila and nearby provinces in 2009.
Seniang apparently caused more fatalities than Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) that struck Eastern and Central Visayas in early December. Ruby left some 18 people dead.
Seniang prompted the evacuation of more than 86,000 people in Surigao del Sur, Bohol and Cebu provinces before weakening into a tropical depression.
Ruby, on the other hand, forced more than 1 million people to flee to shelters in what a UN agency said was one of the world’s biggest peacetime evacuations.
As in the case of Typhoon Sendong in December 2012, Seniang brought more rains over a 24-hour period.
Science Secretary Mario Montejo said citizen awareness and community preparedness were vital elements in minimizing casualties.
He urged the people to pay close attention to all weather bulletins on typhoons, taking note not just of wind strength but also of projected rainfall volume.
As in previous typhoons, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued timely alerts and notices, including hourly updates and regular press conferences as soon as Seniang entered the Philippine area of responsibility.
Seniang weakened into a tropical depression yesterday as it continued to move away from the country.
As of 9 a.m., the center of Seniang was located at 245 kilometers southeast of Cuyo, packing winds of 55 kph.
It was forecast to move west-southwest at 13 kph, PAGASA said.
PAGASA said Palawan remained under signal No. 1 as of 11 a.m. yesterday.
Palawan would continue to experience moderate to heavy rains with occasional gusty winds in the next 36 hours.
Moderate to heavy rains would also persist in areas within the cyclone’s 150-km radius, PAGASA said.
Seniang – the 19th cyclone to enter the country this year – is projected to be at 220 km south of Puerto Princesa City this morning.
It would be at 500 km southwest of Puerto Princesa or outside the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow. – Ricky Bautista, Aurea Calica, Rainier Allan Ronda, Helen Flores, Alexis Romero, Ben Serrano, Evelyn Macairan