(UPDATE) 14 killed, 4 missing as 'Santi' exits
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/31/2009 11:53 PM
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MANILA - The fourth tropical storm to hit the Philippines in five weeks slammed into the main island of Luzon on Saturday, uprooting trees, toppling power lines and killing 14 people.
As of 8 a.m. of November 1, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said typhoon “Santi” (international code name Mirinae) had left 14 people dead, 4 injured, and 4 missing in the southern Tagalog and Bicol regions.
A total of 7 people died in Camarines Norte: Sarah Mae Vargas, 2; Flora Estacion, 64; Rodrigo Rodriguez, 64; Jose Eboña, 62; Maria Ferrer, 93; Rasco Rogelio, 63; and Analiza dela Cruz, 35.
In Laguna, 4 people were killed, including two youngsters: Edsel Loviña, 12; Margie Taiño, 8; Julieta Zaguire, 79; and Roderico Cabardo, 51.
Tirso Ramos, 59, of Cavite, Louie Alano, 30, of Catanduanes, and Edwin Capayas, 42, of Quezon province, were also killed during the onslaught of “Santi.”
Meanwhile, Maricel dela Rosa, John Mar Agaton, Malou Soriano and John Victor Macalalad were injured.
Romulo Soriano and his 3-year-old son Nicholo are still missing after their vehicle fell off a bridge in Kalumpang River in Batangas. Anthony Espidido of Laguna and Victoria Delmoro of Quezon are also missing.
A total of 2,853 families or 13,456 individuals were affected by the typhoon which has weakened into a tropical storm, the NDCC noted.
“Santi” is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Sunday afternoon. It was spotted as of 4 a.m. at 450 kilometers west southwest of Metro Manila with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.
Damages
The NDCC estimated the damages to barangay halls, day care centers, health centers, and a foot bridge in Labo, Camarines Norte to be worth P15.6 million.
A total of 5,764 houses were damaged, with 1,488 totally destroyed and 4,276 partially ruined.
Several towns in Laguna were flooded such as Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan and Lumban.
The NDCC said that preemptive evacuations helped reduce the number of casualties in areas affected by “Santi.” Over 115,000 people had been preemptively evacuated and at least 9,000 stranded.
A total of 1,976 families or 9,290 individuals are housed in 32 evacuation centers.
Onslaught
Authorities cancelled about 180 flights from Manila while some ferry and bus services remained grounded, leaving thousands stranded and stopping people from returning to their home provinces for the All Saints' Day weekend.
Tropical storm “Ondoy” (Ketsana) and typhoon “Pepeng” (Parma) killed more than 900 people in recent weeks, with parts of the capital, Metro Manila, still under water. Another typhoon, “Ramil” (Lupit), hit the country last week but caused little damage.
“Santi,” meantime, had sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 185 kph as it cut through coconut-growing provinces such as Quezon province and other areas south of the capital.
"It looks like our countrymen can still commemorate All Saints' Day because the weather has cleared a bit," Colonel Ernesto Torres, spokesman of the disaster agency, said in a radio interview. "The typhoon is on its way out of the country."
The rainfall was not as heavy as had been feared, especially along the densely populated west coast of Luzon where floods from “Ondoy” late last month killed more than 400 people.
Leonardo Espina, spokesman for the national police, said emergency teams had started clearing roads of uprooted trees and debris.
Laguna bears brunt
Many areas in Laguna were still reeling from the devastation wrought by “Ondoy” about 5 weeks ago.
In the wee hours of Saturday, the province again had to deal with the fury of another storm which took 4 lives in the province.
Edsel Laviña and Roderico Cabardo drowned, while Marge Taiño and Julieta Zagure were pinned under a collapsed wall.
About two-thirds of the province got flooded when the storm dumped a huge amount of rain overnight.
In Calauan, Laguna, the Lopez family was trapped in a jeep for 5 hours enduring freezing temperatures as they watched floodwaters inundate their village.
Their house was destroyed and all their belongings were swept away by the raging waters. "Biglang nilipad ang bubong namin, tapos pinasok na ng baha," said Calauan resident Fidel Lopez.
As the water level continued to rise, the family decided to evacuate. "Masakit sa akin, wala talagang natira," said Maribel Lopez.
It was the same story in other areas in Laguna. Many also lost their livelihood. Aside from destroyed houses, “Santi” also wrecked other facilities and infrastructures.
Twenty towns in the entire province of Laguna were flooded, including 13 towns that have yet to recover from “Ondoy.”
"Akala ko makakabangon na kami kay Ondoy, tapos heto na si Santi," said Chris Sanji, Laguna public information officer. Most affected was the town of Sta. Cruz. The national road going to Paquil was closed due to fallen trees.
Sea travel resumes in Batangas
Meanwhile, sea travel has resumed in Batangas after storm signals in the province were lowered.
Heavy rains and punishing winds greeted the people of Batangas at day-break on Saturday.
But before signal number 3 was raised over the province, roll-on roll-off (RO-RO) vessels and other seacraft were already anchored in safer areas.
Inside the Batangas Port's Terminal 2, passengers quietly waited for the storm to pass. Most of them had been stranded at port for 3 days, and many were already tired and hungry.
Before noon on Saturday, the storm signal was lowered in Batangas, and passenger ferries were allowed to return to port. But vessels were still not allowed to sail.
Despite being stranded, the passengers did not complain. They said it's better to wait and be safe so they can honor their dearly departed and reunite with their families on All Saints' Day.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard will continue rescue operations for Romulo Soriano and 3-year-old Nicholo after their vehicle fell into the river when a bridge collapsed in barangay Kumintang, Batangas City.
Romulo and his family were crossing the bridge when it gave way. Romulo's wife, Malou, who was unconscious, was rescued by residents after she got stuck on a tree. She was immediately brought to a hospital and is now in stable condition.
The Sinisian bridge in Calaca, Batangas was also damaged by the storm and remains impassable as of this posting.
Santi in Bicol region
In Bicol region, among the fatalities was 2-year-old Sarah Mae Vargas who succumbed to hypothermia.
Rodrigo Rodriguez, 64, Santa Elena and Louie Alano, 30, of Bagamanoc town in Catanduanes also died of hypothermia.
Five others died due to drowning while 2 were injured.
Meanwhile, the NDCC added that the Peñafrancia-Maligaya Road in Camarines Sur is not passable.
A foot bridge in Labo, Camarines Norte was also damaged.
Cancelled flights, no trains
In Manila, typhoon Santi forced the cancellation of domestic and international flights.
A massive power failure due to the storm also stopped the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT).
To avoid further destruction by heavy winds brought by typhoon Santi, billboards along EDSA were taken down as early as Friday.
Authorities did not want a repeat of what happened in 2006, when typhoon Milenyo hit Metro Manila, tearing down billboards killing at least one person.
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), many major international flights were affected.
All Japan Airlines flights were cancelled. KLM and Eva Air flights were delayed due to the late arrival of their aircraft because of the typhoon
Philippine Airlines flights, both domestic and international were also canceled, stranding many passengers.
Back to normal in afternoon
By mid-afternoon, after the weather improved, passengers flocked to the airport to catch their flights.
At least 6 Meralco posts fell along Buendia in Makati due to strong winds.
The LRT and MRT resumed normal operations in the afternoon after Meralco restored power by about 10 percent.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Meralco said electricity had been restored to at least 98% of areas that experienced power outages due to “Santi.”
Only some areas in Cavite, Laguna and Rizal remain without power.
But Meralco assured residents in these areas that the power outages are isolated cases.
"This doesn't mean all customers in those areas there are without power. These are mostly isolated cases, meaning only some circuits within their areas are without power," said Dina Lomotan, senior external communications of Meralco.
Meralco said things are expected to be back to normal on Sunday as it is working round-the-clock to fully restore electricity.
Customers can call their hotlines at 16-211 and their mobile numbers--0920 929 2824 and 0917 559 2824--to report incidents of power outages.
Early visitors for All Saints' Day
Despite the rains and the wind, some people chose to visit the resting place of their dearly departed early on Saturday.
Winds and rains brought by “Santi” swept through the Manila Memorial Park, driving away those who came early to visit their departed loved ones.
Hours later, when the winds and rains subsided, visitors returned to the cemetery.
The Manila Memorial Park management said fallen trees and scattered branches will be a problem as more motorists are expected to visit their dead in the next two days.
Actress and TV show host Kris Aquino and her family visited the tomb of her parents former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Ninoy Aquino.
Despite strong winds and the heavy downpour, visitors also flocked to the Manila North Cemetery early.
The Carpio family decided to visit on Saturday to beat the crowds that are expected on Sunday and Monday. "Mas solo namin, makakapagdasal pa ng maayos," said Josefina Carpio.
North Cemetery officials vowed to restore tombs destroyed by the recent rains.
Security remains tight inside the cemetery. Visitors' bags and belongings are thoroughly inspected.
About 300 police personnel are also deployed there to keep peace and order and maintain smooth traffic flow. -- reports from Manny Mogato, Reuters; Ryan Chua, Abner Mercado, Adrian Ayalin, Jenny Reyes, ABS-CBN News; ANC; radio dzMM
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