Damaged houses, toppled trees, and electric posts are seen around Caramoran, Catanduanes, a few hours after Super Typhoon Pepito made landfall on November 16, 2024. Courtesy of Fr. Erns Tatualla

MANILA — Catanduanes province needs urgent aid after the extensive damage to structures left by typhoon Pepito, an officer said Monday. 

On Saturday, Pepito uprooted trees, brought down power lines and smashed flimsy houses to pieces after making its first landfall on the lightly populated Catanduanes island in the typhoon-prone Bicol region.

“Heavily damaged po talaga ang Catanduanes. Mayroon po kaming 6 na munisipyo sa northern part po na severely damaged,” said Camille Gianan, information officer of the Catanduanes disaster office.  

“Kung iko-compare po namin ito sa ibang bagyong naramdaman din namin before, the damage is almost the same as super typhoon Rolly. Ang difference lang po yung, Rolly sa southern part… Ngayon naman po sa Pepito, sa taas naman,” she told TeleRadyo Serbisyo. 

Super Typhoon Pepito's aftermath in Panganiban, Catanduanes

Some areas in the province remained cut off, Gianan said. 

“You can only just imagine kung ano yung epekto sa taas kasi may mga lugar pa pong impassable talaga, hindi pa namin napupuntahan kaya yung reports lang po ng mga mayor and DRRM team ang nakukuha namin,” she said. 

Power and water supply were still down in vast swaths of the province, she added. 

“[Power] restoration po will probably start today. Pero baka abutin po ito ng, kung gaya po ng Rolly, one to two months or three months, depende po kung gaano karaming tulong ang makuha namin,” Gianan said. 

“Wala rin po kaming water sources, lahat ng municipalities. Sa Virac, meron po kami ngayon pero pawala-wala rin po kasi sir ang water sources namin, yung mga pipes, et cetera.” 

Thousands of evacuees were in urgent need of relief supplies, she said. 

“We are calling for help. Need namin ng in kind donations: food packs, hygiene kits, drinking water,” Gianan said. 

“Kailangan namin ng augmentation sa power restoration from other coops. Nananawagan po kami sa mga telcos to restore their signal in the province, kung puwede po kaming makakuha ng free call and text booths po.”

Panganiban municipality in the northeast of Catanduanes took a direct hit from Pepito.

Photos and a drone video shared on the Facebook page of Mayor Cesar Robles showed fallen power lines, damaged and destroyed buildings, and trees and corrugated iron sheets strewn on the roads.

"Pepito was so strong, I have never experienced a typhoon this strong," Robles said in a post, as clean-up efforts got underway and people returned home.

No deaths have been reported, Gianan said. 

“Thankfully po, siguro gumana yung early preparations namin, zero casualties as of now. May hinihintay na lang kaming isa na lang na report from the municipality of Caramoran,” she said. 

Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

Mother-of-three Marissa Cueva Alejandro, 36, who grew up in Catanduanes and sheltered with a relative during Man-yi, said typhoons are getting stronger.

"Before, we would only experience (typhoon) signal number three to four, but now typhoons are getting as strong as signal number five," she said, referring to the weather service's five-tiered wind warning system.

Pepito was the sixth storm in the past month to batter the archipelago nation. At least 163 people died in the previous storms, which left thousands homeless and wiped out crops and livestock.

NASA: Philippines’ overlapping cyclones ‘unusual’

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window.

Pepito struck the Philippines late in the typhoon season -- most cyclones develop between July and October.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse