Storm slams Mindanao; 436 dead

source: mb.com.ph/

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands face a bleak Christmas as flash floodsspawned by tropical storm “Sendong” across Mindanao swamped Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, and parts of Zamboanga del Norte leaving close to 600 people dead and missing.

As of last night, officials put the death toll at 436, with Sendong (international name: Washi) slightly intensified as it traversed the Sulu Sea toward Palawan.

Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang told The Associated Press that the latest toll was based on a body count in funeral parlors. She said that 215 died in Cagayan de Oro and 144 in nearby Iligan, and the rest in several other southern and central provinces.

Many of the bodies in parlors were unclaimed, indicating that entire families had perished, Pang said.

The number of missing was unclear Saturday night. Before the latest Red Cross figures, a military spokesman said about 250 people were still unaccounted for in Iligan.

For his part, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director and concurrent Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Benito Ramos said in its afternoon advisory that at least 400 were missing.

Most of the dead were asleep Friday night when raging floodwaters tore through their homes from swollen rivers and cascaded from mountain slopes following 12 hours of pounding rain in the southern Mindanao region. The region is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common elsewhere in the archipelago nation.

Meanwhile, a report from the city government of Iligan City led by Mayor Lawrence Lt. Cruz said a total of 378 residents, among them children, died in flash floods that destroyed or damaged some 157 houses.

Mayor Cruz has ordered the city’s social welfare and development department to provide temporary shelter to a total of 1,895 homeless families affected by the floods.

The Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stated that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, there were 97 recovered bodies in Cagayan De Oro City where flash floods affected 23 barangays.

The EastMinCom also said in that report that at least 125 people were missing while about 2,000 people have been rescued from the floods.

Another report from the AFP Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) Saturday afternoon showed 75 bodies have been recovered in Iligan City, while 15 people were rescued at sea.

AFP WestMinCom spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang also said 250 people remain unaccounted for in Iligan City alone, where 11 villages were severely devastated by the storm.

After the devastation, President Benigno S. Aquino III directed government agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to extend assistance to areas affected by storm “Sendong”.

Based on information reaching the NDRRMC operations center in Camp Aguinaldo, most of the fatalities were from Cagayan De Oro City and Iligan City. Three deaths all due to drowning were also recorded in Polanco, Zamboanga Del Norte, and five in Compostela Valley province due to landslide at Mt. Diwalwal.

In Lanao del Norte, the bodies of nine victims were recovered, the NDRRMC said.

Ramos said his office has heard about reports being relayed by some local officials and other first responders, including the military, indicating a higher death toll but the official said they are following a procedure before making a report on casualties.

Massive power outage was also reported in Cagayan De Oro City.

AFP EastMinCom spokesman Col. Leopoldo Galon said the military already dispatched three Huey helicopters, military trucks, rubber boats, speed boats, and motor boats to be used in the on-going search and rescue (SAR) operations.

Cabangbang said search and rescue operations are still ongoing in the Western Mindanao area.

Most of the residents were said to be deep in their sleep when flash floods hit their villages.

In Region 11, a landslide was also reported in Mt. Diwalwal, Monkayo, Compostela Valley, resulting in the death of five people, including four members of a family, when a landslide buried several houses in the area.

Senior Inspector Grethen Cinco, Southern Mindanao Regional Police Office spokesperson, said the bodies were retrieved from the house of a certain Andy Tuan in Purok 4. She identified the fatalities as Rose dela Penas, 57; Nasser Tuan, 6; Aliah Tuan, 14; and Rhaker Tuan, 4.

In Caraga, a total of 260 families or 1,560 persons were affected in Barangays Lingig, Surigao del Sur and Bislig City.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) located the eye of the storm at 180 kilometers (km) west of Dumaguete City, as of 10 a.m. Saturday.

Storm warning Signal No. 2 remains hoisted over Palawan, Southern Negros, and Zamboanga del Norte.

Areas under Signal No. 1 are Cuyo Island, Southern Cebu, Siquijor, Northern Negros, Zamboanga del Sur, and Misamis Occidental.

It has maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) near the eye and gustiness of up to 90 kph.

It is forecast to move west-northwest at 30 kph.

“Sendong” was expected to cross Palawan last night, 300 km West Southwest of Puerto Princesa City and forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) this afternoon, and 640 km Southwest of Puerto Princesa City tonight.

The NDRRMC said that as of 8 a.m. yesterday, a total of 5,040 passengers, 82 trucks, six cars, 143 buses, six motorized bancas, and 87 vessels are stranded in different ports in Regions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and Caraga

Among those stranded, there are 1,469 passengers in Iloilo City; 710 in Bacolod City; four in Roxas City; 10 in San Jose De Buenavista; 520 in Dumaguete; 627 in Maasin, Southern Leyte; nine in Catbalogan, Samar; 132 in Dapitan, Zamboanga; 35 in Ozamis; 1,052 in Cagayan de Oro; 507 in Surigao; and 127 in Butuan City.

The NDRRMC earlier reported that tropical storm “Sendong” made landfall at Hinatuan, Surigao, at around 4 p.m. Friday.

Public storm signals were also raised in the affected provinces, but Ramos said apparently the residents remained complacent.

"Hindi naman dati nakaka-experience ng ganitong bagyo yun areas na tinamaan

in northern Mindanao kasi hindi usual path ng bagyo na dumaan doon. Kaya nagkaroon ng complacency on the part ng ilang kababayan natin," said Ramos, as he stressed: “Hindi tayo nagkulang ng paalala, katulong pa namin kayo sa media.”

The NDRRMC official added, “Hindi naman daw malakas ang ulan bago natulog yung mga tao.” But he said reports showed there was sudden surge of floodwaters at around 2:30 a.m. when most of the people were already asleep.

The rampaging waters swept away homes, he added.

A report by the NDRRMC likewise said the massive flooding, particularly in Cagayan De Oro City and Iligan City was due to the overflowing of the river systems of Mandulog and Agos.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said P5.36 million worth of standby funds and P23.95 million relief supplies are ready for immediate release to the affected areas.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman has instructed all DSWD regional offices to be on alert and continue to coordinate with concerned local government units to assess the extent of the typhoon and to be able to immediately provide assistance to affected families. (With reports from AFP, Madel R. Sabater and Ellalyn B. de Vera)
source: mb.com.ph/