Cebu. — REUTERS/ELOISA LOPEZ
THE PHILIPPINES declared a state of national calamity after Typhoon Kalmaegi (locally known as Tino) left more than 100 people dead and widespread destruction across the Visayas and Mindanao, with another powerful storm expected to hit within days.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the measure would fast-track the release of emergency funds and ease procurement rules to speed up aid delivery.
“Several regions — almost 10 to 12 — have been or will be affected,” he said at a situation briefing in Quezon City. “With that scale and scope, it’s clear that this is a national calamity.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recommended the declaration as Typhoon Tino unleashed torrential rains and strong winds that triggered landslides, floods and power failures, displacing thousands of families.
Authorities are now bracing for Typhoon Uwan, forecast to intensify into a super typhoon by Friday, threatening areas still reeling from Tino’s destruction.
The death toll from Typhoon Tino rose to 114, with about 127 people still missing, the disaster agency said, as the storm that devastated the country’s central regions regained strength as it headed towards Vietnam.
Tino battered large parts of central and southern Philippines this week, inundating towns, submerging villages and triggering landslides that left scores dead and thousands displaced.
In Vietnam’s Gia Lai province, some 350,000 people were expected to have been evacuated by the middle of the day as authorities warned of heavy rains and damaging winds that could cause flooding in low-lying areas and disrupt agricultural activity.
In the Philippines’ hardest-hit province of Cebu, the scale of the destruction became clearer as floodwaters receded to reveal flattened homes, overturned vehicles and streets choked with debris.
More than 200,000 people were evacuated in the Philippines ahead of Tino hitting on Tuesday. Some have returned to find their homes destroyed, while others have begun the arduous cleanup, scraping mud from their houses and streets.
“The challenge now is debris clearing… These need to be cleared immediately, not only to account for the missing who may be among the debris or may have reached safe areas, but also to allow relief operations to move forward,” Raffy Alejandro, a senior civil defense official, told DZBB radio.
ANOTHER STORM DEVELOPSEven as Typhoon Kalmaegi exited the Philippine monitoring zone, weather forecasters were tracking a brewing storm east of Mindanao that could strengthen into a typhoon, raising concerns for potential impacts early next week.
The devastation from Kalmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year, comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, killing dozens and displacing thousands.
As Kalmaegi moved over the South China Sea ahead of its landfall in Vietnam, it was regaining strength. It was forecast to affect several central provinces, including key coffee-growing areas, where the harvest season is under way.
Authorities were mobilizing thousands of soldiers to help with potential evacuations, rescue operations and recovery efforts.
Vietnam’s aviation authorities said operations at eight airports, including the international airport in Da Nang, were likely to be affected. Airlines and local authorities have been urged to closely monitor the storm’s progress to ensure passenger safety.
Mr. Marcos said the full extent of the damage was still being validated but described the casualty count as “very high.”
“We are continuing our relief and support for those hit by Typhoon Tino, but we are also doing everything that we can to anticipate and prepare for Typhoon Uwan,” Mr. Marcos said.
The President said government responders deployed in the Visayas might be reassigned to areas expected to be affected by the second storm, depending on how quickly relief operations stabilize in Cebu and nearby provinces.
After the devastation caused by Typhoon Tino, the Office of the President released P760 million in financial assistance to affected local governments across the country.
The provinces of Cebu, Capiz, Surigao del Norte, Iloilo, Bohol and Negros Occidental each got P50 million, while Eastern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Southern Leyte, Antique and Aklan were given P40 million each.
Leyte and Masbate each received P30 million; Guimaras, Agusan del Norte and Dinagat Islands, P20 million each; and Biliran, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental and Palawan, P10 million each.
Smaller allocations of P5 million were extended to Albay, Romblon, Batangas, Northern Samar, Siquijor, Quezon, Samar, Agusan del Sur, Laguna, Zamboanga City, the City of Manila for stranded passengers, Camiguin, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Zamboanga del Norte and Iligan City.
The Philippines, a country located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is battered by about 20 typhoons annually. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana with Reuters