NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

 

Brewing storm likely to hit RP in 3 days – Pagasa

 

(by Sophia M. Dedace, GMA News.TV

10/26/2009 | 06:02 PM )

 

After Typhoon Ramil spared the Philippines over the weekend, another weather disturbance is threatening to hit the country within the next three days, the state weather bureau said Monday afternoon.

 

Prisco Nilo, head of the Philippine, Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the cyclone (named Tropical Depression 23) could enter Philippine territory on Thursday October 29 or Friday October 30.

 

It would be named SANTI once it enters the Philippine area of responsibility. Next to Pepeng, Quedan, and Ramil, the new weather disturbance is the FOURTH CYCLONE to visit the PHILIPPINES for the month of October.

 

He added that the following areas should brace for the weather disturbance’s effects: Visayas, southern Luzon, Bicol Region, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila.

 

Nilo said the tropical depression was spotted at the Marianas Islands. It was located at 2,800 kilometers east of Visayas packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour. It is forecast to move west northwest at 19 kph.

 

He, however, said that TD 23 had already intensified into a storm even if under Pagasa’s classification, a tropical depression becomes a storm if its strength had already exceeded 65 kph. - GMANews.TV

 

 

CATEGORY MAXIMUM WINDS

Tropical depression 35- 64 km per hour near the center

Tropical storm 65-118 km per hour near the center

Typhoon 119-200 km per hour near the center

Super typhoon Maximum winds greater than 200 km per hour

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

My use of colours when posting:

 

Red is used to express danger / take care / warning / alert / description of devastation, death toll, wounded

 

Green is used to express hope / danger is over / help and donations given

 

Yellow is normally used as something between red (danger) and green (hope). A situation might develop into danger / devastation / death, but might also clear up]

 

I have checked several countries' Text TV, as well as the websites of Red Cross, Unicef and GMA News.TV without finding any relevant news.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

Pagasa: New cyclone may make landfall Saturday

 

10/27/2009 | 08:17 AM

 

If it stays on its course, a new cyclone heading for the Philippines may make landfall on Saturday night, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Tuesday.

 

Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said the cyclone, to be code-named "SANTI" once it enters Philippine territory, will make itself felt as early Friday night.

 

"It may make landfall Saturday evening. But it is still at sea and far from land. The chances are, it will gain strength before making landfall," Nilo said in an interview on dzXL radio.

 

Citing data they have gathered so far, Nilo said the cyclone is due to enter Philippine territory Thursday evening, and bring rains and winds Friday evening.

 

But he admitted there is little chance the cyclone will go the way of "RAMIL" (LUPIT) that skipped the country.

 

In a separate interview, Pagasa forecaster Elvie Enriquez said the cyclone will likely affect Eastern Visayas.

 

"Given its present heading, it will likely affect first Eastern Visayas, including Samar and Leyte," she said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

Enriquez also said that after "SANTI," at least four more cyclones are expected to enter Philippine territory.

 

"Based on weather patterns in the past years, we expect two cyclones to enter Philippine territory in November, one more in October, and one in December," she said.

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in its 6 a.m. report, said the cyclone had been upgraded into a tropical storm and is moving toward Guam.

 

It said the cyclone was moving west-northwest at 17 mph (27.35 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64.37 kph). - GMANews.TV

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

STORM HEADING FOR RP INTENSIFIES

 

10/27/2009 | 11:03 PM

 

The tropical storm heading for the Philippines intensified further Tuesday night and now has an INTERNATIONAL CODE NAME, MIRINAE.

 

In its 5 p.m. (Manila time) report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said MIRINAE was about 160 miles (257.495 km) northwest of GUAM.

 

MIRINAE - which will be code-named SANTI upon entering PHILIPPINE territory - was moving west-northwest at 20 mph (32.187 kph). The storm packs maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph), the NOAA said.

 

"It is expected to intensify over the next 24 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (96.56 km) from the center," it added.

 

On the other hand, the Japan Meteorological Agency's 8:40 p.m. forecast indicated the cyclone may affect parts of Northern, Central and Southern LUZON, and Central and Eastern VISAYAS by FRIDAY.

 

GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES from GMA News.TV

 

Storm ‘Santi’ may enter RP Thursday; govt readies relief goods

 

10/28/2009 | 09:47 AM

 

The tropical storm heading for Philippine territory east of Northern Luzon accelerated slightly Wednesday and may enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as early as Thursday morning.

 

But the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said “MIRINAE" (to be codenamed “SANTI" once it enters PAR) may also make an early exit, likely on Sunday.

 

"It may enter the Philippine area of responsibility as early as Wednesday night or early Thursday," Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said in an interview on dzXL radio early Wednesday.

 

Nilo said the storm continues to intensify and its winds may reach up to 200 kph.

 

Citing data they have gathered so far, he said the storm may hit Central LUZON and even affect METRO MANILA.

 

Nilo added that two to three more cyclones might hit the country after Santi.

 

Relief preparations

 

Following President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s order to pre-position relief goods to prepare for the coming storm, DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral said her agency is pinpointing the areas in Southern Luzon and the Visayas that the cyclone will likely hit this weekend.

 

“We are ready to pre-position stockpiles of goods so they can be used immediately," Cabral said in an interview on dzRH radio.

Mrs. Arroyo ordered relief caravans moved to their intended destinations beginning Wednesday, before the new storm hits this weekend.

 

A Malacañang statement said President Arroyo gave the order at a Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting in Pampanga.

 

It said the President particularly ordered pre-positioning of assets to Northern and Central LUZON.

 

In a separate interview on dzBB on Wednesday, Pagasa’s forecaster Ben Oris said they do not expect the storm to affect the country immediately.

 

“We may feel its effects perhaps on Saturday," Oris said.

 

He said that if MIRINAE stays on its course, it may hit east of Northern Luzon. But he also said the storm is likely to make an early exit on Sunday.

 

Storm location

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 6 a.m. report said Mirinae’s center was about 410 miles (659.83 km) west northwest of Guam.

 

It said Mirinae was moving west northwest at 22 mph (35.405 kph), with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120.701 kph).

 

On the other hand, the Japan Meteorological Agency’s 5:45 a.m. report indicated MIRINAE is heading for Northeast LUZON and may affect the WHOLE of LUZON and most of the VISAYAS by FRIDAY.

 

Pagasa’s 5 a.m. bulletin indicated that as of 2 a.m., Mirinae was estimated at 1,640 km east of Northern Luzon.

 

The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph and is forecast to move west-northwest at 28 kph

.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

'SANTI’ INTENSIFIES INTO TYPHOON, TO INTENSIFY FURTHER

 

10/28/2009 | 08:07 PM

 

A tropical cyclone heading for the Philippines intensified further into a typhoon late Wednesday and remained on course towards northern LUZON, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

 

In its 5 p.m. report, NOAA said "MIRINAE" slightly accelerated at 27 kph.

 

"It is expected to intensify during the next 24 hours. Typhoon force winds extend outward up to 40 km from the center and tropical storm force winds extend upward up to 185 km from the center," it said.

 

NOAA said "Mirinea" was about 997 km west-northwest of Guam as of 5 p.m. and packed maximum sustained winds of 160 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said typhoon "Mirinae" was 1,390 km east of Central Luzon as of 4 p.m.

 

The cyclone will be code-named “SANTI" once it enters Philippine territory, which Pagasa said could be on late Wednesday or early Thursday.

 

The Japan Meteorological Agency's 5:45 p.m. report said "Mirinae" may make landfall in the eastern part of northern Luzon and may affect parts of the Visayas as well this weekend while the nation observes All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.

 

Because of this, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who also heads the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), warned the public of the risks of going to the cemeteries.

 

“We see difficulties if our countrymen are not aware of the coming typhoon and they are planning to visit their relatives at the cemeteries. They may be trapped there and this may cause traffic congestion in the streets and may delay the response and relief efforts that may be needed to be done," Teodoro said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday.

 

He urged the public to visit their dead relatives before Saturday. “Let us avoid visiting our relatives at the cemeteries and if they really need to make a visit, we can do it earlier, before Saturday."

 

Teodoro said a food caravan is scheduled to leave for southern Luzon on Thursday as part of the government’s pre-positioning of relief goods in preparation for Santi.

 

GMANews.TV

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 28 OCTOBER 2009

 

HOW MUCH DID ONDOY COST? FOR STARTERS, TRY P23 BILLION

 

No stranger to storms, and yet none the wiser for it, the NDCC estimates that P10.45 billion in DAMAGE was caused by ONDOY-related floods.

 

By ASSAD BAUNTO and YASMIN ARQUIZA10/10/2009 | 11:34 AM

 

No stranger to storms, and yet none the wiser for it, the Philippines is reeling once again from the aftermath of a relatively mild weather disturbance that has cost billions of pesos in property and hundreds of lives lost.

 

Nearly two weeks after tropical storm “ONDOY" dumped record rainfall in the nation’s capital and surrounding regions, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Thursday estimated the DAMAGE from widespread FLOODING it caused at

P10.45 billion, broken down into P3.864 billion in INFRASTRUCTURE and P6.766 billion in AGRICULTURE.

 

But an INDEPENDENT rapid STUDY brings the economic losses to more than twice that amount, based on government figures as of Oct. 8. Calculations derived from the official reports released by the NDCC, DepEd, and Department of Agriculture as well as statistical reports give a preliminary assessment of P23 billion, indicating that the government is grossly underestimating the impact of Ondoy.

 

The amount does not even include the losses of flood victims like the family of lawyer Edward Lorenzo, whose two-storey house in a Quezon City suburb was one of the thousands that were ravaged by the storm. Two of their cars were submerged in the flood along with the entire first floor, which will take up to three months to renovate, he says.

 

In addition to NDCC estimates, this initial assessment includes damage to housing and other infrastructure, civil aviation losses, and foregone revenues of 337 people who died in the floods. The economic cost also computes systems losses arising from the damage to infrastructure and related activities that impair productivity.

 

With very limited data from the government and private sector, these estimates are conservative and do not include other items that were destroyed, as well as expenditures arising from the disaster. These include destruction of household items, foregone revenues and damage in assets of business establishments, unaccounted donations, sanitation and garbage disposal, water quality, environmental costs, destroyed sea transport, medical and burial expenses, and health expenses to curb water-borne diseases, among others.

 

IRRECOVERABLE LAND AND INCOME

The calculations also used conservative assumptions in coming up with the figures for the cost to airlines from almost two days of canceled and delayed flights and access cost for students from the week-long class holiday.

 

In disasters like “ONDOY," the fact that many of the fatalities could still have led productive lives is often overlooked. To calculate the foregone revenues from the dead, essential factors such as the distribution of the population according to age, life expectancy of FILIPINOS, and employment status were taken into account. Based on the latest census and human development report figures, the expected productivity of the 337 victims had they not perished in the disaster reached P360.2 million.

 

The figure is based on the average wage income of Filipinos, and do not reflect the potential earnings of businessmen like Tony Chua, manager of the basketball team Barako Bull, or David Fernando, co-founder of Smart Communications Inc. Like hundreds of others, they lost their lives in the unprecedented floods that affected both rich and poor in Manila.

 

Similarly, with more than four million people affected by the storm, there is a huge loss in economic production that has not been measured. Assuming a five-day absence from work of the labor force, a conservative estimate of losses would amount to P2.358 billion in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.

 

In the NDCC report, a huge chunk of the storm damage was recorded in agriculture. But what it failed to mention is that aside from direct losses, an additional P2.26 billion in losses from yearly foregone revenues are expected as 35,207 hectares of agricultural land were deemed to have “no chance of recovery," according to NDCC, citing DA figures.

 

P23 ASSISTANCE PER AFFECTED PERSON

So far, the total amount of assistance from government agencies and NGOs is valued at around P97 million, including thousands of sacks of rice distributed to the victims. When correlated to the total number of affected persons in NDCC’s tally which stands at 4,119,658, however, the amount translates to a mere P23.51 per person. What can this buy? Aside from one kilo of NHA rice (P18.25), not much else really.

 

But then again, not all the victims benefited from disaster relief. According to the NDCC, only one-fourth of the affected population or 1,041,107 people received assistance. This means each person received P93.04 worth of assistance more than a week after “Ondoy" struck. The amount represents the value of social protection that the government has provided each person for such a catastrophic risk, which may increase as more support pours in but certainly does not compare with the properties and lives lost.

 

As for evacuees, one interesting ratio to consider is the number of persons housed in the 455 evacuation centers, many of them public schools. On average, there are 632 persons in one evacuation center. But if all the individuals affected by ONDOY are taken into account, the ratio would reach 9,054 persons to one evacuation center.

The figures, of course, vary by region. For instance, Central Luzon would have 14,219 evacuees per center if all affected persons are housed there. But in terms of actual occupants, only an average of 659 evacuees are found in each of the region’s 61 evacuation centers.

 

SOCIAL IMPACT

 

If most of the affected persons are not getting any help, where do they go?

 

Most likely, they get support from relatives, friends, and social networks. In economics and sociology circles, these are known as “informal arrangements" (as opposed to “formal arrangements" consisting of government or international support).

 

When catastrophic events such as the massive flooding from “ONDOY" wipe out a host of material property that can be used as collateral, the only assets left are friends and relatives that act as social insurance. They are extremely valuable in allowing disaster victims to maintain their consumption patterns and go on with their lives, despite the sudden drop in income and spike in expenses as a result of the damage sustained during unexpected events.

 

WHERE SHOULD THE MONEY GO?

 

In the wake of “ONDOY," United Nations Development Programme country director Renauld Meyer told a Senate hearing that $75 million worth of assistance would be sought for the victims.

 

He said the package would include “distribution of food, non-food such as health equipment and blankets and clothing, shelter, education, health, and other very urgent needs" based on an assessment of the municipalities affected by the floods.

 

However, no one has been talking about livelihood assistance for the families of the victims who died in the floods, especially those whose breadwinners died rescuing stranded individuals.

 

Another priority would be the improvement of the capacity of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) to predict rainfall and its weather forecasting in general. One of its main weaknesses is the lack of Doppler radar equipment, as only one is currently operational in Baler in Aurora.

 

Eight more are expected to be operational by the end of next year, but Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo has said previously that 12 are needed to cover the entire Philippines, which gets more than a dozen storms per year.

 

Funds are also needed to relocate residents living in hazardous areas and floodplains in order to prevent another disaster of “ONDOY’s" magnitude. Whether government officials will risk unpopularity by forcibly evicting squatters or rejecting applications for building permits in high-risk areas, however, is another question.

 

GROWTH CENTER

The systems losses in these initial estimates include a report from Meralco that the damage it incurred from “ONDOY" reached P830 million, representing nearly one-third of its income for the first half of 2009.

 

However, this does not include reports from the private sector such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which estimated that businesses in metropolitan Manila suffered at least one billion pesos in losses from the floods.

 

With much of the economic activity in the country centered in the National Capital Region and surrounding areas, the extent of destruction from “Ondoy" is certainly under-reported. Many of the areas around the Laguna de Bay have remained unproductive as these are submerged in floods.

 

No doubt, the estimates of damage from “Ondoy" will rise as more official data is released. It would be good if the government, with its access to data and abundance of personnel, deems it proper to provide its constituents a true picture of the economic impact of “Ondoy."

GMANews.TV

 

Assad Baunto holds master’s degrees in economics from Oxford University and the University of the Philippines. Yasmin Arquiza was a Reuters fellow at Oxford and is currently the managing editor of GMANews.TV. Both are recipients of the Ford Foundation's International Fellowships Program and have written research papers on development issues for various multilateral agencies.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 29 OCTOBER 2009

 

SANTI MAY MAKE LANDFALL FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY PASS MMANILA

 

10/29/2009 | 11:43 AM - The article will follow later

 

 

140 TRUCKS WITH RELIEF GOODS HEAD FOR STORM-PRONE AREAS IN LUZON

 

10/29/2009 | 10:57 AM

 

Some 140 trucks left for several storm-prone areas in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon, and the Bicol Region Thursday to pre-position relief goods in areas that Typhoon "Santi" (Mirinea) may affect.

 

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the trucks are loaded with relief items from various government agencies.

 

“We sent out 140 trucks of relief goods to areas hit by recent storms and those that may be hit by the coming storm," Cabral said in an interview on dzXL radio.

 

She referred to areas hit by tropical cyclones “ONDOY" (KETSANA) and “PEPENG" (PARMA), as well as areas that may be affected by Typhoon SANTI.

 

Cabral said the trucks will head for Central and Southern LUZON, as well as the Bicol Region, to pre-position relief items in time for the coming of SANTI, which entered Philippine territory Wednesday night.The other trucks will head for Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera for the ongoing relief work there.

 

Earlier, a report by dzBB radio’s Manny Vargas said that at least 70 trucks left Pasay City for Southern LUZON and BICOL early Thursday to pre-position relief goods.

 

The destinations included Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes in Bicol; and Quezon, Batangas, Laguna and Cavite in Southern Luzon.

 

NO 'ROTTING' RELIEF GOODS

Relief items carried by the trucks included rice, canned goods, noodles, water, bedding, clothes, and shoes.

 

On Tuesday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the DSWD to pre-position relief goods to areas that may be hit by SANTI.Mrs. Arroyo gave the order during a Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting in Pampanga.

 

Cabral said the government has enough relief goods, including donations stemming from the United Nations World Food Programme’s flash appeal for help for victims of ONDOY and PEPENG.

 

Meanwhile, Cabral laughed off a militant group’s claim that it found “rotting" relief goods at a DSWD warehouse in Quezon City.

 

She said the DSWD has an office, but not a warehouse in the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

 

“The facility in Quezon City is our office, not a warehouse. So that claim is baseless," she said. - GMANews.TV

 

 

 

SANTI MAY MAKE LANDFALL FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY PASS MANILA

10/29/2009 | 11:43 AM

 

Typhoon "SANTI" (MIRINAE) may pass through or go very near METRO MANILA if it crosses Luzon this weekend, SO the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

(I will post the entire article will follow later Thursday)

 

 

 

Pagasa gets Korean aid for early warning system vs disasters

 

10/29/2009 | 10:14 AM

A month after tropical cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng wreaked devastation and caused massive flooding in Luzon, the state weather bureau on Thursday announced that the South Korean government is funding... (I will post the entire article later today Thursday)

 

 

Typhoon signal up as 'Santi' intensifies; dams urged to release water - 10/29/2009 | 08:08 AM

 

At least four areas were placed under Storm Signal No. 1 as Typhoon "Santi" (Mirinea) intensified further and continued moving toward Luzon Thursday. (I will post the entire article later today)

 

 

Wet All Saints’ Day looms as ‘Santi’ enters RP

10/29/2009 | 12:20 AM

 

Typhoon "SANTI" (international code name MIRINAE) entered Philippine territory at 10 p.m. Wednesday, but state weather forecasters said it is still too far to directly affect any part of the country.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

Updates of the situation in the Philippines

 

SANTI MAY MAKE LANDFALL FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY PASS METRO MANILA

 

10/29/2009 | 11:43 AM

 

Typhoon "SANTI" (MIRINAE) may pass through or go very near METRO MANILA if it crosses LUZON this weekend, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Thursday.

 

Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said a high-pressure area near Philippine territory may force SANTI to slightly change course from west to west southwest.

 

"At this point there is about 30 percent probability or very close over Metro Manila. It is possible the cyclone may get near Metro Manila so its residents should prepare," Nilo said.

 

Last September 26, Metro Manila and some areas in Central Luzon and the Calabarzon regions were battered by Tropical Storm Ondoy's record rainfall, which surpassed the previous record for the metropolis in 1967.

 

 

LANDFALL

 

Nilo said SANTI is likely to make landfall in Casiguran in Aurora Friday night or early Saturday, if it maintains its present speed. The cyclone is also likely to pass through Central LUZON and the southern part of North Luzon, he added.

 

But he said that unless SANTI slows down, it may cross the entire LUZON in just 12 hours, and be out of Philippine territory by Tuesday at the latest.

 

"The cyclone moves relatively fast. We expect it to cross Luzon in just 12 hours. It will be better this way, than being exposed for a long time to its winds and rains," he said.

 

He also projected SANTI to be “behaved" compared to tropical cyclone RAMIL (LUPIT), which followed an erratic path before sparing the country.

 

SANTI's LOCATION

 

In its 11 a.m. advisory, Pagasa said SANTI maintained its strength as it continued to move towards Central LUZON.

 

Located 890 km east of Casiguran, Aurora as of 10 a.m., Santi was packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

SANTI was moving west at 24 kph and is expected to be 440 km east of Casiguran, Aurora, and in the vicinity of Casiguran, Aurora or 210 km northeast of Manila Saturday morning. By Sunday morning it is expected to be 170 km west of Dagupan City or 280 km northwest of Manila.

 

As SANTI draws closer to making landfall, Pagasa placed Polilio Island under storm signal No. 2 while areas under signal No. 1 were: Isabela, Ifugao, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur.

 

Pagasa reminded residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes under storm signals to take precautions against flashfloods and landslides.

 

Earlier, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said about 140 trucks loaded with relief goods have been sent off to storm-prone areas in Northern, Central, Southern LUZON and the BICOL Region in anticipation of SANTI.

The relief goods will also be distributed to past cyclone victims in the mentioned areas. - GMANews.TV

 

PAGASA GETS KOREAN AID FOR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM VS DISASTERS

 

10/29/2009 | 10:14 AM

 

A month after tropical cyclones ONDOY and PEPENG wreaked devastation and caused massive flooding in LUZON, the state weather bureau on Thursday announced that the South Korean government is funding the second phase of its early warning system to mitigate the effects of impending disasters.

 

At a press conference in Quezon City, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro announced the approval of the $3-million project funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), the South Korean government’s arm “that provides grant aid programs for developing countries by implementing the government's grant aid and technical cooperation program."

 

The venture will concentrate on the Pasig-Marikina river basin. Pasig City and Marikina City were among the worst-hit areas when Tropical Storm ONDOY struck the country last September 26. The storm caused floods that lasted for days, costing many lives and much damage to property. [ See: How much did Ondoy cost? - ALREADY POSTED HERE - VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE - SO READ IT! ]

 

Present at the press conference were Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) chief Prisco Nilo, DOST Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, Koica’s Kim-In, and Choi Joong-Kyung, South Korea's ambassador to the Philippines.

 

"I am pleased to announce that the Korean government has now decided to provide long-term assistance to the Philippine government through an establishment of early warning response system for disaster mitigation in Metro Manila," said Choi.

 

The Korean official said the project involves flood forecasting, early warning and emergency communication systems.

 

A Pagasa statement said the project would establish the following:

 

- Seven automatic weather stations

- Five water-level gauging stations with video monitors for rainfall

- A flood forecasting system including control or monitor stations

- Twenty warning posts to be installed along the Marikina River

- Radio, voice, fax, data communication systems

- Maintenance vehicles and patrol cars

 

Susan Espinueva, officer-in-charge of Pagasa’s hydrometerological division, said that the first installments of the weather stations would be on the Sierra Madre mountains in Montalban, Rizal.

 

She added that a team from Koica would inspect key areas in the second week of November. The "reconnaissance and collection of data" would also determine where the other weather stations would be set up.

 

Nilo said that through the new project, the agency could give the public sufficient time to prepare before storms and floods batter and inundate their homes. “We should be able to warn about eight to 12 hours in advance," Nilo said.

 

Meanwhile, Alabastro said that the project does not include the acquisition of Doppler radars, instruments used to show the amount of rainfall a storm can bring. She said that the radars would be operational in Subic, Zambales and in Tagaytay City, Batangas by December. The Philippine government would shoulder the costs for the acquisition of the equipment.

 

The Pasig-Marikina River Basin

 

The project is the second to be funded by Koica.

 

Last July 2009, Koica completed the first phase of the early warning system (EWS) project with Pagasa. The grant program covered the following areas: Aurora and allied river basins in Luzon, the Jalaur river basin in Iloilo province in Visayas, and the Agus-Lake Lanao watershed in the Lanao provinces in Mindanao.

 

Espinueva explained that last October 7, Ambassador Choi initiated talks with the DOST to focus their efforts in mounting a community-based flood warning system in the Pasig and Marikina areas.

 

The Philippine government agency then laid out plans for the project, which was approved by the Koica headquarters in Seoul, South Korea after 12 days.

 

The announcement of the new project was made Thursday.

The Pasig and Marikina rivers constitute the main river basin in eastern Metro Manila.

Pagasa said the basin stretches from Rodriguez, Rizal to Pasig, passing through San Mateo, Rizal and Quezon City. “It flows in the center of Marikina Valley between the mountain range of Sierra Madre in the east and Quezon City in the west," it said.

 

Data from the Japan International Cooperation agency indicates that the “Pasig-Marikina River, which is the main natural drainage of the region and whose total catchment area is 635 square kilometers, runs through the center of Metro Manila and flows out to the Manila Bay."

 

While the new project does not intend to deal with structural problems in the basin, Albastro said they hope that the venture with Koica could mitigate, if not avert, devastating effects of the storms threatening to hit Metro Manila in the future. - with Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV

 

TYPHOON SIGNAL UP AS 'SANTI' INTENSIFIES; DAMS URGED TO RELEASE WATER

 

10/29/2009 | 08:08 AM

 

At least four areas were placed under Storm Signal No. 1 as Typhoon "Santi" (Mirinea) intensified further and continued moving toward Luzon Thursday. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) also suggested that at least four dams should consider releasing water early.

 

"Angat, San Roque, Pantabangan and Magat dams have critical water levels. It would be wise to consider releasing water early," Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said in an interview on dzXL radio.

 

He said SANTI, which entered Philippine territory Wednesday night, is expected to bring much rain, and have winds more powerful than Typhoon PEPENG (PARMA), which pummeled northern LUZON and caused severe FLOODING in PANGASINAN province and deadly landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

 

Nilo said that if Santi maintains its course, it will likely affect Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

 

CALL FOR PREPAREDNESS

 

Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said it is crucial that the areas concerned are prepared.

"We have already prepared for this as much as we can," Teodoro said in an interview on dzXL radio.

 

Pagasa forecaster Rene Pamil, on the other hand, said SANTI may exit early as it is moving relatively fast at 26 kph. "It is moving fast. It may be out of Philippine territory after two days," Pamil said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

SANTI's LOCATION

 

Pagasa's 5 a.m. advisory said at least four areas are under Storm Signal No. 1: Isabela, Aurora, Northern Quezon, and Polillo Islands.

 

Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes in these areas were advised to take all precautions against flash floods and landslides.

The Coast Guard automatically bars travel in these areas by vessels lighter than 1,000 tons.

 

As of 4 a.m., Pagasa said SANTI was 1,080 km east of Casiguran, Aurora, with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

It is moving west at 26 kph and is expected to be 580 km east of Casiguran,

Aurora Friday morning, and 100 km east of Casiguran, Aurora Saturday morning. By Sunday morning it is expected to be 180 km west of Dagupan City.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

WET ALL SAINTS’ DAY LOOMS AS ‘SANTI’ ENTERS RP

 

10/29/2009 | 12:20 AM

 

Typhoon "SANTI" (international code name MIRINAE) entered Philippine territory at 10 p.m. Wednesday, but state weather forecasters said it is still too far (away) to directly affect any part of the country. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said SANTI would cause rains during the All Saints' weekend.

 

"Chances are, it will make landfall in Northern LUZON," Pagasa forecaster Rommel Yutuc said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

Pagasa said that as of 10 p.m., Santi was 1,210 km east of Casiguran, Aurora, with winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph.

It was moving west at 24 kph and is expected to be 710 km east of Casiguran Thursday night. By Friday evening it is expected to be 250 km east of Casiguran, Aurora.

By Saturday evening it is forecast to be 50 km east of Dagupan City or 30 km south of Baguio City, Pagasa said in a 10:45 p.m. advisory.However, Pagasa said SANTI is still too far (AWAY) to directly affect any part of the country, at least for the next 24 hours.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

BRUNEI DONORS TEXT IN DONATIONS FOR RP CYCLONE VICTIMS

 

10/29/2009 | 04:31 PM

 

Donors in Brunei used their mobile phones to donate to victims of two recent destructive cyclones that lashed the Philippines in September and October.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) cited a report from the Philippine Embassy in Brunei that the Brunei government allows "text donations" of up to B$20 (P680).

 

"(Last October 22), the Brunei Government’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports launched the SMS Brunei Prihatin Initiative, which enables the public to use text messages to donate to the humanitarian fund for INDONESIAN EARTHQUAKE and PHILIPPINE TYPHOON VICTIMS. The public can donate denominations of B$1, $5, $10, $15, and $20 to the fund until 30 November 2009," the DFA said.

 

Subscribers of DSTCom and B-Mobile networks customers can text “Bantu20" to number 38111 for a donation of $20, “Bantu15" for a $15 donation, and so on. - A Brunei dollar is equivalent to P34.

 

The text-to-donate initiative also aimed to benefit victims of a recent earthquake in INDONESIA.

 

Other initiatives undertaken in Brunei include:

 

* On Oct. 19, the International Women’s Club (IWC) of Brunei arranged for the delivery of medical supplies and medicine and multivitamins worth B$3,000 (P99,750) to the Chancery. At the Embassy’s request, Royal Brunei Airlines waived excess baggage charges for up to 60 kg of the said boxes. The medicine / multivitamins will be sent to the Philippines on Friday.

 

* On Oct. 23, Mituo Vege Restaurant turned over B$3,015 to the Philippine Embassy. The said amount was part of the proceeds of “Eat and Pay as You Wish" buffet held last Oct. 18.

 

* On Oct. 22, Nusa Laila Puteri School sent directly to the Philippine National Red Cross its donation of P31,265.49. The proceeds were wired through HSBC Brunei.

 

* On Oct. 22, Couples for Christ – Brunei Chapter turned over its donation of B$500 (P16,500) for the typhoon victims.

 

* On Oct. 23, Alicia Khor and her 15 friends donated B$7,000 for the purchase of 70 coffins for the victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

 

The Embassy remitted the amount to DSWD’s peso account last Oct. 24.

 

Other donations include assorted food items, used clothes, and drinking water.

 

Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Alexander B. Yano conveyed his appreciation to these donors.

 

“Your donation would go a long way in alleviating the plight of the victims," he said.

 

Meanwhile, Japan said that they would donate another batch of relief assistance to the Philippines, this time to victims at Sitio Sub-urban in San Jose village in Rodriguez (Montalban) town in Rizal province.

 

"The grant of US$92,780 (approximately P4.4 million) consists of emergency relief package of food and non-food items for 3,200 families (19,000 persons) in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City and three villages in the Municipality of Montalban, Rizal. This project, in partnership with the Christian Aid, is implemented through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP)," the Japanese Embassy said.

 

GMANews.TV

 

SANTI PACKS 150kph WINDS, MAY HIT C LUZON SATURDAY

 

10/29/2009 | 10:32 PM

 

(Updated 11:30 p.m.) Typhoon “SANTI" (international name: MIRIANE), the fourth cyclone to enter the Philippine area of responsibility in October, has maintained winds of 150kph and is expected to hit provinces in central LUZON on SATURDAY morning while bringing HEAVY RAINS and WINDS to METRO MANILA, the state weather bureau said Thursday night.

 

In its 11 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said SANTI was last spotted 660 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora province and is moving westward towards central LUZON at 22 kph.

 

Santi maintained its strength, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

Based on the current Pagasa forecast, SANTI’s center is expected to hit Aurora province by Saturday morning, and in the vicinity of Nueva Ecija or at 90 km north of Metro Manila by Saturday afternoon.

 

Public storm signal no. 2 has been hoisted over Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, Northern Quezon and Polilio Island.

 

Under storm signal no. 1 are the provinces of Isabela, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bataan, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Lubang Is., the rest of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Metro Manila.

 

“Although SANTI’s center would pass somewhere between central and northern LUZON, we will feel here in METRO MANILA the rains and winds brought by Santi," said Pagasa spokesperson Nathaniel Cruz.

 

Foreign weather agencies such as the US Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also forecast SANTI to pass through central Luzon on Saturday.

 

Earlier on Thursday, Pagasa forecasters said they were studying the possibility of recommending yet another round of water release in major dams in Luzon, which were in the direct path of the typhoon.

 

SANTI is the nineteenth weather disturbance to hit the country this year and the fourth cyclone (after PEPENG, Quedan, and RAMIL) to enter the PHILIPPINE area of responsibility this month.

 

GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 30 OCTOBER 2009

 

TYPHOON SANTI SLIGHTLY VEERS SOUTH, METRO STILL THREATENED

 

10/31/2009 | 01:09 AM

 

Typhoon SANTI, which was earlier forecast to directly hit Metro Manila and four other provinces in southern Luzon, veered slightly southward on Friday night in the direction of Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions on Saturday even as Metro Manila remains threatened.

 

According to the 10:45 p.m. weather bulletin by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Santi was last spotted 30 kms north of Daet, Camarines Norte, moving west southwest at 20 kph.

 

Asked if Metro Manila remained along Santi's path, Pagasa administrator Dr. Prisco Nilo said that although there was still that possibility, the more likely scenario is that the center of typhoon Santi would pass SOUTH OF MANILA.

 

Although the state weather bureau expects Santi’s center winds to spare Metro Manila, foreign weather agencies tracking Santi (international name: Mirinae), such as the Japan Meteorological Agency and the US Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center, forecast the typhoon’s center to still directly pass over the National Capital Region on Saturday morning.

 

Santi maintained its strength, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center, with gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

Storm Signal No. 3 was hoisted over the National Capital Region and 14 other areas in Luzon, including Quezon, Polilio Island, Bulacan, Bataan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Lubang Island, Marinduque, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.

 

Under Signal No. 2 are the provinces of Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Albay, Romblon and the islands of Calamian and Burias.

 

Signal No. 1 is hoisted over Isabela, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Sorsogon, Masbate, Ticao Island and Northern Palawan.

 

Santi is forecast to be 260 kms south of Metro Manila by Saturday evening.

 

The typhoon is also forecast to leave the country on Sunday, November 1, giving Filipinos hope that they can still troop safely to cemeteries to commemorate All Saints’ Day.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

WITH SIGNAL NO. 3, TYPHOON SANTI WRECKS HOLIDAY PLANS

10/30/2009 | 06:04 PM

 

The typhoon this time will arrive with a bang. Packing winds powerful enough to merit a rare signal no. 3 in METRO MANILA, "SANTI" will blow through CENTRAL LUZON starting late FRIDAY EVENING. But Pagasa predicts less rain than wind, lessening the chances of a repeat of the flooding that traumatized millions barely a month ago.

 

Metro MANILA is bracing for another tropical cyclone, barely a month after Storm Ondoy's epic floods claimed over 400 lives.

 

According to Pagasa forecaster Romel Yutuc, "There will be more wind than rain (in Metro Manila) because there is no southwest monsoon, unlike 'Ondoy' that triggered heavy rains."

 

On the eve of one of the busiest holidays of the year for travelers, commercial boat transportation has been suspended by the Philippine Coast Guard since Friday morning in provinces from Aurora to Camarines Sur, including Manila's North harbor. Thousands have been stranded, ruining plans for family reunions and visits to the dead.

 

Storm Signal No. 3 was hoisted over the National Capital Region and 14 other areas in Luzon Friday afternoon after Typhoon Santi gained speed and rapidly approached Quezon province, where rampant logging and the occupation of hazardous areas have made the province vulnerable to devastating landslides.

 

The last time signal no. 3 was hoisted over Metro Manila was in June 2008 during Typhoon Frank, when MV Princess of the Stars capsized off Sibuyan Island, in Romblon province killing about 800. A total of 1,300 died because of the typhoon.

 

As part of government preparations, the Philippine Army said its units "are on full standby" for any emergencies that may occur due to Santi. Companies of the Multi-Role Force (MRF) or the Army Contingent for Emergency (ACE) Battalion are ready to be deployed to any locality when necessary.

 

"Two companies of MRF Battalion are ready to be dispatched on a very short notice. With them are life-saving device and other floating assets like two rubber boats and two motorized boats," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., adding that the troops recently underwent special training on disaster rescue.

 

Local officials have suspended commercial boat travel, stranding scores of passengers hoping to be in their hometowns for Undas, or All Souls' Day.

 

Twenty other areas will be hit by Santi, which was located 230 kilometers east of Infanta, Quezon as of 4 p.m., Friday, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph. It is moving 24 km west southwest at 24 kph.

 

Some areas in Rizal and Laguna provinces where Storm Signal No. 3 is now hoisted remain inundated.

 

These are Jala Jala, Pililia, Tanay, Morong, Cardona, Binangonan, Taytay and Cainta all in Rizal and Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Los Baños, Bay, Cabuyao, Pakil, Paete, Biñan, Calamba, Victoria, San Pedro, Lumban, Pangil and Pila, all in Laguna.

 

STRONG WINDS START TO BE FELT

 

Santi is forecast to cross Metro Manila, as well as the provinces of Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite, and Batangas before exiting to the South China Sea.

 

 

Nathaniel Cruz, weather sciences bureau chief, said rains and 90-kph winds were already being experienced in Virac, Catanduanes.

 

He said by Sunday afternoon (November 1), Santi would have been 760 kms west southwest of Metro Manila, over the South China Sea.

 

He however said people in affected areas could still experience a wet All Saints' Day.

 

LUZON DAMS RELEASE WATER

 

The Ambuklao Dam in Benguet and the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija are so far the only dams that continue to discharge water.

 

The dam is releasing water through its four gates at a rate of 22 cubic meter per second. Pantabangan, meanwhile, is discharging water at 105 cms.

She said that rains present 209.5 might rise to 212 meters which is still within the nirmal high water level

She said the Magat Dam in Isabela and the Binga Dam in Benguet remain in "normal condition." - GMANews.TV

 

 

TYPHOON SANTI SPEEDS UP, EXPECTED TO HIT QUEZON FRIDAY

 

Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV10/30/2009 | 02:39 PM

 

SANTI," the nineteenth weather disturbance to hit the Philippines this year, has gained speed and is expected to make landfall over Quezon province on Friday evening, the state weather bureau said in its 1:30 p.m. bulletin.

 

It was spotted 240 kilometers east of Infanta town in Quezon, moving west at 28 km per hour, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

 

By Saturday morning, Santi is expected to be 280 km west southwest of Metro Manila. By Sunday, the typhoon will be 600 km west northwest of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province.

 

As part of government preparations, the Philippine Army said its units "are on full standby" for any emergencies that may occur due to Santi. Companies of the Multi-Role Force (MRF) or the Army Contingent for Emergency (ACE) Battalion are ready to be deployed to any locality when necessary.

 

"Two companies of MRF Battalion are ready to be dispatched on a very short notice. With them are life-saving device and other floating assets like two rubber boats and two motorized boats," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., adding that the troops recently underwent special training on disaster rescue.

 

A company is composed of roughly 100 men while a battalion, of 500 personnel.

 

As Santi nears, local officials have suspended commercial boat travel, stranding scores of passengers hoping to be in their hometowns for Undas, or All Souls' Day. But bus travel should still be safe until Friday afternoon, according to Cruz.

 

The FOURTH CYCLONE to enter the Philippine area of responsibility since the last week of September, Santi is packing maximum winds of 150 kilometers per hour. It is expected to bring rains to Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, still reeling from the havoc brought by past typhoons.

 

Santi,'s predecessor, "Ramil," shifted directions several times and kept much of Luzon on edge for over a week before veering away towards Taiwan and eventually Japan.

 

On weather maps, Santi's eye is charging like a bowling ball towards a sure strike on Aurora province. It is expected to barrel across Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, provinces hit hard by flooding caused by "Ondoy"'s epic rainfall a month ago.

 

Local governments have set up alarm systems, packed relief goods, and started preparing for mass evacuations in case Santi causes further injury to typhoon victims

 

DAMS RELEASE WATER

As foreseen by weather forecasters, another dam in Luzon has started releasing water ahead of Typhoon Santi's expected landfall.

 

The Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija opened one of its gates by 1.1 meter to let water out at a rate of 60 cubic meters per second (cms). The gates were opened at 4 a.m.

The other dam currently discharging water is the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet province, which had not yet stopped releasing water in the last few days.

 

The Ambuklao Dam is still releasing water through its four gates at a rate of 22 cms.

 

Water levels in both dams have not yet reached their respective spilling levels, but dam administrators decided to open their gates to give room to the rains expected to be brought by Santi. - GMANews.TV

 

Japan, Australia beef up Pagasa's weather forecasting

 

'SANTI' TO BRING HEAVY RAINS, STRONG WINDS OVER LUZON STARTING LATE FRIDAY

 

Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV 10/30/2009 | 12:42 PM

 

Even though Typhoon Santi is not expected to make landfall until Saturday, the state weather bureau advised those in Luzon to take necessary precautions as the fourth weather disturbance to hit the country in a month's time is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the region, including Metro Manila on late Friday.

 

"Before the end of the day, we'll already see darkened skies and feel strong winds," said Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) spokesperson Nathaniel Cruz in an interview over radio dzBB.

 

In its 11 a.m. advisory, Pagasa said Santi's center, which packs maximum sustained winds of 150 kph, was spotted 350 km east northeast of Infanta in Quezon province at 10 a.m.

Currently moving west at 22 kph, the cyclone is expected to be 70 km west northwest of Metro Manila or in the vicinity of Zambales on Saturday morning and 600 km west of Metro Manila by Sunday morning.

 

Even then, parts of Luzon will still experience rains, Cruz said. By Saturday night Santi's center will have passed by, but there will still be rains in Luzon."

 

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s 8:40 a.m. report indicated that Santi may continue heading northwest after making landfall over Luzon.

 

Santi is the 19th weather disturbance to hit the country this year and the fourth cyclone (after Pepeng, Quedan, and Ramil) to enter the Philippine area of responsibility since the last week of September.

 

As of 11 a.m., Northern Quezon and Polillo Islands were under storm signal No. 3 while those under signal no. 2 were: Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bataan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Is., rest of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Metro Manila.

 

Areas under signal 1 were Isabela, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Albay, Burias Is., Sorsogon, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Calamian Group.

With storm signals up, Cruz reiterated his appeal to billboard operators in Metro Manila and Central Luzon to put down their billboards.

 

As early as Thursday, Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo warned the billboards may cause damage if they collapse due to winds from Santi.

 

"Billboard operators should take down their billboards, they can start tonight [Thursday] or early tomorrow [Friday])," Nilo said then.

 

DAMS

Meanwhile, Cruz said that as of 10 a.m. Friday, Ambuklao and Pantabangan dams kept gates open to discharge excess water. While Ambuklao kept four gates open to discharge 22 cubic meters per second, Pantabangan kept one gate open to discharge 50 cubic meters per second.

 

As part of government preparations, the Philippine Army said its units are "on full standby" for any emergencies that may occur due to Santi. Companies of the Multi-Role Force (MRF) or the Army Contingent for Emergency (ACE) Battalion are ready to be deployed to any locality when necessary, said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr.

 

"Two companies of MRF Battalion are ready to be dispatched on a very short notice. With them are life-saving device and other floating assets like two rubber boats and two motorized boats," Burgos said, adding that the troops recently underwent special training on disaster rescue.

 

A company is composed of roughly 100 men while a battalion, of 500 personnel. - GMANews.TV

 

Pantabangan Dam releases water as 'Santi' nears

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

EARTH QUAKE SHAKES JAPAN

ARD Text, page 159

 

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake has shaken the Southern part of Japan. No fear of tsunami and no report of wounded or of any damage. The center was in a depth of 60 km near the Japanese island of Amami Oshima about 800km southwest of Tokio.

 

In 1995 around 6,400 persons died in a magnitude 7,2 quake in KOBE.

 

-------------------------------

 

Norway TV2 Text, page 133 citing AP (news agency)

 

EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN

 

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Afghanistan could be felt in both the capital Kabul and in Pakistan's capital. No reports of any damage. The epicenter was in Hindu Kush in Afghanistan 250 km north of Kabul.

 

AP news agency

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 31 OCTOBER 2009

 

UPDATES FROM THE PHILIPPINES - SOURCE: GMA NEWS.TV

 

'THE WORST IS OVER'; SANTI NOW OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA

 

(by Mark D. Merueñas, GMANews.TV - 10/31/2009 | 11:11 AM )

 

(Update 2, 12:28 p.m.) Despite POWER OUTAGES and FLOODING in several parts of LUZON, including METRO MANILA, state weather sciences bureau chief Nathaniel Cruz said the worst might be over as Tropical Cyclone SANTI (MIRINAE) continued on a straight path out of the country.

 

In an 11 a.m. press briefing, Cruz said that SANTI is now on its way out of the Philippine area of responsibility and is now over the South China Sea.

He also said Storm Signal warnings in several areas in Luzon have been lifted.

 

"The worst is over for Metro Manila," Cruz said in an early Saturday interview over radio dzBB.

 

"There is very little possibility or no possibility at all that SANTI will return to the country. Expect the gradual improvement of weather conditions in METRO MANILA and other areas where Santi passed through.

 

Typhoon Santi threatened to ruin the All Souls' Day weekend for many Filipinos planning for family reunions and visits to the dead.

 

But Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) chief Prisco Nilo assured that SANTI would have already been too far away from land by Sunday or All Souls' Day to cause any more downpour.

 

We can finally light our candles for All Souls' Day," Cruz said.

 

If there will still be rains in Luzon, Santi no longer has anything to do with it. Those rains will probably be just localized," Cruz added.

 

The Pagasa said SANTI is expected to be out of the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday morning.

 

WELL-BEHAVED TYPHOON

 

Nilo has earlier been quoted in a television report as saying that SANTI was a "well-behaved typhoon" compared to its predecessor, Typhoon RAMIL (LUPIT).

 

After keeping much of Luzon on edge for over a week, Ramil finally moved out of the country on Oct. 24, following an erratic path toward Luzon.

 

On Saturday morning, rains have stopped in Quezon City and several parts of Metro Manila. But over at Quezon province, where Santi made landfall on Friday evening, strong winds and scattered rains still prevail, according to a television report.

 

Santi caused FLOODS and MASSIVE POWER OUTAGES as it charged through parts of Metro Manila and southern Luzon Saturday morning.

 

Parts of MANILA , including España Boulevard in Sampaloc and parts of Taft Avenue were swamped with FLOODWATERS early Saturday after incessant rains from the typhoon.

 

In San Juan City, dzBB’s Sam Nielsen reported that floodwaters neared knee-high in Salapan village.

 

BROWNOUTS

 

Meanwhile, the strong winds brought by Santi have caused massive brownouts in parts of LUZON, including METRO MANILA. In Quezon province, radio dzBB’s Carlo Mateo reported that power went out as early as 11 p.m.

 

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) gave the public two cell phone numbers to send in their reports or complaints through text messages. These are 0920-9292824 and 0917-5592824.

 

“Our call centers are swamped," Meralco External Communications Manager Joe Zaldarriaga said on dzBB radio, referring to their 16211 hotline.

 

He said the power outages were mainly due to winds from Santi affecting Meralco’s power lines.

But the power outage in some parts of southern Metro Manila was due to five Meralco posts toppled by winds.

The toppled posts at the corner of Buendia and Taft Avenue Extension caused heavy traffic.

 

AIRPORT

 

Meanwhile, flight schedules of the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific at the NAIA have all resumed by 10 a.m.

He said after the arrival of the LA flight, other international flights from South Korea and Singapore, as well as a number of domestic flights of the PAL have started arriving at the NAIA.

Escundo also said they have begun dispatching replacement flights to accommodate their passengers affected by delayed flights.

 

Candice Iyog, vice president for corporate affairs of the Cebu Pacific, said operations have gone back to normal, but said some passengers might still wait a little longer before they can get on board their respective flights.

She said the delays were not only due to bad weather triggered by Santi but also to the power outage that struck Terminal 3 of the NAIA.

 

MOVING OUT

 

The eye of SANTI is currently hovering over LUBANG ISLAND in the northern end of MINDORO, or some 120 kilometers southwest of Metro Manila.

 

Cruz said the typhoon is expected to be out of Philippine territory by Sunday morning, or about 630 kms away from the Philippine capital.

 

Santi's speed slowed down to 22 kilometers per hour and it packed maximum winds of 120 kms per hour, based on the latest advisory from Pagasa.

 

The highest volume of rainfall from Santi was recorded in Alabat town in Quezon province, where 350 mm of rains fell starting Friday night until 8 a.m. of Saturday.

 

Winds were strongest at the Sangley Point in Cavite with a speed of 125 kph. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila, which experienced power outages, wind speed was recorded at 105 kph.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

NDCC: OVER 115,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY SANTI (10/31/2009 | 11:57 AM)

 

At least one person was reported missing while more than 115,000 people were affected in the wake of Typhoon Santi (Mirinae), the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said Saturday.

 

But NDCC spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr. said the worst of Santi appeared to have passed as the weather has improved, allowing people to mark the All Saints' weekend.

Our fellow Filipinos can commemorate All Saints' Day," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

He also said authorities appeared to be better prepared this time, unlike last September when they were caught flatfooted when Typhoon ONDOY (KETSANA) lashed Luzon.

 

The local disaster coordinating councils responded quickly and preemptively evacuated residents in coastal areas out of harm's way, he said.

Local disaster coordinating councils played a key role, down to the village levels. Everyone did his share to prepare for Santi," he said.

"Hopefully we can be this prepared for other typhoons to come," he added.

 

Citing reports reaching him, Torres said search operations are now ongoing for a man in Muntinlupa City, after floods washed away their shanty.

He said Bureau of Fire Protection personnel managed to rescue the man's two children.

In Laguna, 20 fishermen were rescued at Tinigiban village in Calauag, Quezon province.

 

On the other hand, the NDCC's 6 a.m. report Saturday indicated 23,101 families or 115,507 people were preemptively evacuated in 251 evacuation centers in Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and Bicol.

 

Some 200 families were forcibly evacuated in Lingga village in Calamba City in Laguna.

At least 8,567 passengers, 411 trucks, 110 cars, 82 passenger buses, 15 vessels, 13 motorized bancas, and 61 vessels were stranded while 48 motorized bancas took shelter in ports as of 10 p.m. Friday, NDCC said.

 

FLOODS

 

Floods were waist-deep in Barangay 183, knee-deep in Barangay 185, and two feet high in Barangay 184 in Pasay City.

In San Juan City, floods were knee-deep in San Perfect, Balong Bato, Progreso and Batis Streets. In Navotas City, floods were two feet deep in San Jose village.

Floods were knee-deep in Libjo area in Parañaque City, at the back of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

 

DAMS

The NDCC said Ambuklao Dam continued to release water as a preemptive measure.

As of 4 a.m. Saturday, Ambuklao kept four gates open to release water at 22 cubic meters per second.

Pantabangan Dam, which was also kept open Friday, was closed as of 4 a.m.

 

POWER AND TELECOMS

 

Power outages were reported in General Nakar, Alabat Island, Real and Infanta towns in Quezon province, where "Santi" made landfall.

In Bicol, Camarines Norte except Daet was without power, but the NDCC said this was a preemptive measure of the National Electrification Authority.

The NDCC said the NEA found some damages along backbone lines in the Camarines Norte area.

Camarines Norte Electric Cooperative substations were also shut down.

 

TELECOMS

 

There was no signal for Smart and Globe in Panganiban town in Camarines Norte, and no signal for Smart in Sta. Elena town.On the other hand, Camarines Norte provincial police's communication facilities were bogged down due to strong winds.

 

ROADS

 

In Bicol, only one lane of Maharlika Highway between Labo and Daet was passable, while clearing operations are ongoing to remove fallen trees.

Inalmasinan Road Section is impassable due to flooding, however.

 

GMANews.TV

 

Expect rains in Luzon even after ‘Santi’ due to LPA

 

'SANTI' WEAKENS INTO A TROPICAL STORM, LEAVES AT LEAST 12 DEAD

 

Arroyo orders relief, rehab operations for 'Santi'-hit areas

 

Health worker rescued, 2 missing as car falls from collapsed Batangas bridge

 

4.9-magnitude quake rocks central Luzon

 

Several of the above articles (only stated as headlines) might be posted later today, but I do not have more time now or for the coming 5 hours or so.

 

All articles from: http://www.gmanews.tv

[nancyk58]

Updates of the Situation in the Southeast Asia

 

NORWAY'S TV2 TEXT, page 128:

The Philippines hit by the third typhoon in 5 weeks, and 7 people died after the typhoon rushed through the island of LUZON in the northern part of the Philippines. Substantial material damage. On Saturday the typhoon "Mirinae" aka.SANTI ravaged in the northern parts of the Philippines with a wind speed of 51 m per second. The typhoon forced more than 105,000 people to flee their homes.

 

German ZDFtext, page 138:

At least 11 people died in a typhoon in the Philippines. The typhoon "Mirinae" aka. SANTI cost at least 11 human lives in the eastern and southern parts of the Philippines. Many people missing. The typhoon caused floods and power failures, most of the victims drowned. More than 115,000 people were brought into safety by the authorities before the storm hit the Philippines.

At the end of September and at the beginning of October the typhoons KETSANA and PARMA caused much damage and devastation in the Philippines. More than 900 people died. A third typhoon touched (on) the northern part of the Philippines.

 

German ARD, page 130:

Typhoon moves across the southern and eastern parts of the Philippines. At least 12 died. With stormy rain the typhoon Mirinae aka. SANTI passed across the Eastern and Southern parts of the Philippines. More than 100,000 people had to bring themselves into safety. In the coastal regions of the province QUEZON 120 km East of the capital Manila, dozens of houses were swept into the sea. Power failures in several places.

The typhoon had a wind speed of up to 185 km per hour and was the fourth typhon in less than a month hitting the Philippines.

 

 

The following articles from GMA News.TV

 

'SANTI' MOVES FURTHER AWAY FROM RP; AT LEAST 13 KILLED

 

by Andreo C. Calonzo, GMA News.TV

 

(UPDATE 3, 11:05 p.m.) Unlike past tropical cyclones that stayed longer and caused heavy casualties, SANTI left as fast as it arrived, leaving at least 13 dead and over 2,000 families affected.

Tropical cyclone Santi (Mirinae) unleashed its wrath Friday evening causing power outages, floods, and landslides in some areas in Luzon.

 

The state weather bureau on Saturday evening lifted the remaining storm warning earlier hoisted over Lubang Island northwest of Mindoro.

 

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) listed 10 fatalities in its 6 p.m. bulletin.

 

NDCC identified the fatalities as:

 

Sarah Mae Vargas and Rodrigo Rodriguez from Camarines Norte who both died due to hypothermia;

 

Louie Alano of Catanduanes who also died of hypothermia;

 

Flora Estacion of Camarines Norte who drowned;

 

Tirso Ramos of Cavite who fell from a roof;

 

Edsel Laviña and Roderico Cabardo of Laguna who both drowned;

 

Marge Taiño and Julieta Zagure of Laguna who were pinned under collapsed wall and

 

Edwin Capayas of Quezon who drowned.

 

The NDCC said SANTI affected some 2,251 families or 10,667 people in 54 villages in seven provinces. Of these, 1,130 families or 5,173 families are staying in 23 evacuation centers.

 

The list does not yet include three other reported fatalities in Camarines Norte earlier reported by Region 5 Disaster Coordinating Council Director Bernardo Alejandro.

 

Several areas in METRO MANILA and SOUTHERN LUZON also remain FLOODED, while areas in Laguna, Quezon and Rizal provinces remained WITHOUT ELECTRIC POWER, NDCC said.

 

At least two areas in Camarines Norte province were CUT OFF, experiencing both POWER and CELL COMMUNICATIONS OUTAGES.

 

In its 11 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Santi’s maximum sustained winds was at 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, with gustiness of up to 120 kph.

 

Pagasa last spotted SANTI over the SOUTH CHINA SEA, 360 kilometers west southwest of Metro Manila, moving westward at 22 kph.

 

The storm is forecast to move farther away from the country and is expected to be 830 km west southwest of the National Capital Region by Sunday evening.

 

Foreign weather agencies such as the US Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center and the JAPAN Meteorological Agency forecast Santi to hit VIETNAM by Monday morning.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

EXPECT RAINS IN LUZON EVEN AFTER ‘SANTI’ DUE TO LPA (LOW PRESSURE AREA)

 

10/31/2009 | 06:48 PM

 

Although tropical cyclone SANTI is expected to leave the country soon, northern and central LUZON will continue having rains in the coming week, the state weather bureau said Saturday.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said a new Low Pressure Area (LPA) in the Pacific Ocean would bring occasional rains to northern and southern Luzon starting Monday.

 

Pagasa said it was closely monitoring the air mass heading toward southern LUZON and the VISAYAS, which could develop into a new cyclone. The northeast monsoon, which will start affecting the country’s weather in November, will also bring scattered rain showers over Luzon.

 

“An approaching LPA may bring rains, and the strong northeast monsoon can also bring scattered rain showers especially in northern and southern Luzon," Pagasa spokesperson Nathaniel Cruz said in a press briefing.

 

SANTI is forecast to leave the Philippine area of responsibility by SUNDAY afternoon, and is very unlikely to return to the country.

 

Pagasa expects one to two more tropical cyclones to enter the Philippines before the year ends. The country is within the northwestern Pacific area, which has around 27 tropical cyclones a year.

 

“These would enter the Philippine area of responsibility but this does not mean that all these cyclones would pass through the country" Cruz said.

 

by Andreo C. Calonzo, GMANews.TV

 

4 STILL MISSING IN 'SANTI' WAKE; FLOODS, OUTAGES HOUND SOUTH LUZON

 

10/31/2009 | 10:15 PM

 

At least four people remain missing in the wake of tropical cyclone "SANTI" (Mirinae), which charged through SOUTHERN LUZON and BICOL SATURDAY.

 

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), in its 6 p.m. report, also confirmed the death of at least 10 people from SOUTHERN LUZON and BICOL.

 

Missing are Anthony Espidido of Ilaya village in San Roque, Liliw in Laguna; Romulo and Nicholo Soriano of Batangas City; and Victoria Delmoro of Quezon.

 

Espidido went missing during a flash flood and landslide in Laguna, while the Sorianos were in a car that fell into the water after the Bridge of Promise in Batangas City collapsed.

 

Delmoro was carried away by strong flood current.

 

FATALITIES

 

The fatalities were identified as:

 

Sarah Mae Vargas and Rodrigo Rodriguez from Camarines Norte who both died due to hypothermia;

 

Louie Alano of Catanduanes who also died of hypothermia;

 

Flora Estacion of Camarines Norte who drowned;

 

Tirso Ramos of Cavite who fell from a roof; a

 

Edsel Laviña and Roderico Cabardo of Laguna who both drowned;

 

Marge Taiño and Julieta Zagure of Laguna who were both pinned under collapsed wall and

 

Edwin Capayas of Quezon who drowned.

 

Injured were Maricel dela Rosa of Catanduanes, who was hit by a tree trunk; and Malou Soriano of Batangas City, who was hurt in the collapse of the Bridge of Promise.

 

The NDCC said "Santi" affected some 2,251 families or 10,667 people in 54 villages in seven provinces.

 

Of these, 1,130 families or 5,173 families are staying in 23 evacuation centers.

 

As of Saturday noon, "Santi" stranded 9,012 boat passengers, 598 vehicles and 10 vessels in ports around Luzon and Visayas.

 

Some 23,103 families or 115,507 people were preemptively evacuated to 251 evacuation centers.

 

 

WASHED OUT HOUSES IN CAVITE

 

In Cavite, floodwaters washed out 50 houses in Santolan in Dalig village in Cardona town, while a storm surge destroyed houses in Barangay San Rafael 3 in Noveleta town.

 

At least 25 houses were destroyed in San Jose village in Cavite after a tornado tore through the area.

 

In METRO MANILA, floods were knee-deep in Tanza village in Navotas City, while Daanghari village there was flooded but passable.

 

Floodwaters in Pasig City were up to 10 inches high in Santolan and Kalawaan villages. In Taguig City, floods were knee-deep in Bagumbayan, Lower Bicutan and Ibayo-Tipas villages.

 

In Laguna, the Sta. Cruz River overflowed and submerged 85 percent of Sta. Cruz town, with floodwater levels waist-deep in some villages and five feet deep in Pagsanjan town.

 

Floods also submerged parts of Rizal and San Lorenzo villages in Sta. Elena town in Camarines Norte in Bicol.

 

 

BRIDGES COLLAPSE IN LAGUNA, BATANGAS

 

In Laguna, the Olla Bridge near Grotto and the bridge at the boundary of Magdalena and Majayjay collapsed, while the road from Lumban to Sta. Maria and Pangil was not passable due to floods.

 

Portions of the National Road from Barangays Pansol, Bucal to Halang, Calamba were not passable to light vehicles.

 

Roads in Pagsanjan, Mabitac and Famy were underwater and not passable to light vehicles.

 

In Batangas, the Bridge of Promise connecting Gulod labor and Kumintang Ibaba of Batangas City collapsed due to strong flood currents.

 

In Quezon province, Maligaya village road in Atimonan town became impassable due to overflowing river.

 

FALLEN TREES IN CAMARINES NORTE

 

In Camarines Norte, fallen trees and electric poles blocked road sections in Paracale, Labo, Vinzaons, and Basud, while a landslide made the road in Sitio Paraiso in Bulala, Sta. Elena not passable.

 

Fallen trees similarly blocked Maharlika Highway in Libmanan, Camarines Sur.

 

At least 23 out of 60 circuits of the Manila Electric Co. in Southern Luzon had been re-energized as of 6 p.m.

 

POWER OUTAGES

 

There is still no power in Calamba, Famy, Mabitac, Lumban, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Luisiana, Majayjay, Cavinti, Calamba and Sta. Cruz in Laguna.

 

In Quezon, there is no power in General Nakar, Alabat Island, Real and Infanta.

 

Similarly without power are Morong, Baras and Talim Island in Rizal.

In Bicol, the entire Camarines Norte province remained without power.

 

In Metro Manila, Urdaneta and Olympia villages in Makati City, and Milagrosa village in Quezon City were without power due to damaged power lines and transformers.

 

Cell phone service in Jose Panganiban and Sta. Elena in Camarines Norte were out.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

Headlines of the following articles posted earlier today - a short summary of the articles below)

 

ARROYO ORDERS RELIEF, REHAB OPERATIONS FOR 'SANTI'-HIT AREAS

 

10/31/2009 | 01:42 PM

 

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered disaster management teams Saturday to undertake immediate relief and rehabilitation work in areas affected by Typhoon Santi (Mirinae).

 

 

NDCC: OVER 115,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY SANTI

 

10/31/2009 | 11:57 AM

 

At least one person was reported missing while more than 115,000 people were affected in the wake of Typhoon SANTI (Mirinae), the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said Saturday.

 

 

'THE WORST IS OVER'; SANTI NOW OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA

 

10/31/2009 | 11:11 AM

 

A generally well-behaved Tropical Cyclone SANTI (Mirinae) continued on a straight path out of the country Saturday morning, leaving several parts of Luzon in floodwaters and without electricity.

 

 

'SANTI' FORCES 'EXTENSION' OF VOTERS' REGISTRATION

 

10/31/2009 | 10:34 AM

 

Due to Typhoon SANTI, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was forced to extend its registration for the 2010 elections in areas affected by power outages.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES 1 NOVEMBER 2009

 

The articles below all have GMA NEWS.TV as source.

 

CLOUDY ALL SOULS' DAY LOOMS - PAGASA

 

11/01/2009 | 06:42 PM

 

A shallow low-pressure area (SLPA) may bring about a cloudy All Souls' Day in parts of the country, state weather forecasters said Sunday afternoon.

 

 

NDCC LIST OF IMPASSABLE ROADS AS OF NOV. 1, 2009

 

11/01/2009 | 11:04 AM

 

Typhoon SANTI (Mirinae) may have already left Philippine territory, but the rains and winds it brought rendered some roads and bridges in Luzon impassable.

 

Meralco: DAMAGED POWER LINES NOW FULLY RESTORED 11/01/2009 | 11:01 AM

 

The 683 power circuits in Luzon that have been destroyed by typhoon SANTI have been fully energized since 5 a.m. Sunday, the Manila Electric Co. said.

 

 

TYPHOON ‘SANTI’ DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 14 – NDCC

 

By: Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV - 11/01/2009 | 12:20 PM

 

The number of lives claimed by typhoon “SANTI" (MIRINAE) rose to 14 on SUNDAY morning, while FOUR are still MISSING and FOUR others reported INJURED, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council's latest report.

 

The NDCC identified the fatalities as:

 

Sarah Mae Vargas and Rodrigo Rodriguez from Camarines Norte who both died due to hypothermia;

 

Louie Alano of Catanduanes who also died of hypothermia;

 

Flora Estacion, Jose Eboña, Maria Ferrer, and Rasco Rodriquez of Camarines Norte who drowned;

 

Tirso Ramos of Cavite who fell from a roof;

 

Edsel Laviña and Roderico Cabardo of Laguna who both drowned;

 

Marge Taiño and Julieta Zagure of Laguna who were pinned under collapsed wall, and

 

Edwin Capayas of Quezon who drowned.

 

Reported missing are Anthony Espidido of Laguna, Romulo and Nicolo Soriano of Laguna, and Victoria del Moro of Quezon.

 

Those injured were Maricel dela Rosa, John Mar Agaton, Malou Soriano, and Victor Macalalad.

 

The NDCC said SANTI AFFECTED about 2,853 families or 13,456 people across CENTRAL LUZON, METRO MANILA, SOUTHERN LUZON, and BICOL regions.

 

Some 1,976 families or 9,290 people are DISPLACED and are now in 32 evacuation centers in the region.

 

SANTI MOVES AWAY

 

Santi, which had already weakened into a tropical storm, continued to move further away from Philippine territory.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said Santi was located at 610 kilometers west-southwest of Metro Manila.

 

In its 10:45 a.m. bulletin, Pagasa said Santi packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 100 kph.

 

Moving westward at 20 kph, Santi is expected to be 8001 km west-southwest of Metro Manila on Sunday evening.

 

POWER OUTAGES

 

SANTI unleashed its fury on FRIDAY evening, with its RAINS and WINDS downed power and communication lines, destroyed roads and bridges, and caused flooding and landslides.

 

Earlier in the day, power utility Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said all 683 destroyed power circuits have already been energized even as some areas continued to experience power outages and interruptions.

 

“With the restoration of all our affected circuits, we are now conducting mopping operations and attending to individual concerns of customers which we hope to complete at the soonest time possible," said Meralco external communications manager Jose Zaldarriaga in a statement.

 

Those experiencing brownouts can contact Meralco at 16211. Other queries can also be reported to 09175592824 and 09209292824.

 

Based on the NDCC list, areas still without electricity or experiencing power interruptions are:

 

In National Capital Region: Barangay Urdaneta and Olympia in Makati City, Barangay Milagrosa in Quezon City, Barangay Rincon in Valenzuela City;

 

In Pampanga: Barangay Gatiwainand Matamo in Arayat town, Barangay San Vicente in Masantol town;

 

In Laguna: Calamba, Famy, Mabitac, Lumban, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Luisiana, Majayjay, Cavinti, Calamba, and Sta. Cruz;

 

In Quezon: General Nakar, Real, Infanta, and Alabat Island;

 

In Rizal: Morong, Baras, and Talim Island;

 

In Bicol Region: province-wide power interruption in Camarines Norte.

 

 

I'm editing Google's translations of some articles published in UNICEF's latest NEWSLETTER. These articles deal with the situation in the Philippines, and there is a letter from a Filipino named Jaime - I am planning to post these later today. :)

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

E-NEWSLETTER FROM UNICEF RECEIVED FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2009:

 

Several millions of persons are affected by typhoons in the Philippines

 

UNICEF distributes supplies to typhoon victims in Philippines

 

29-10-2009 - After the tropical storm KETSANA and the typhoon PARMA hit the Philippines in late September and early October, UNICEF is now working hard to help many of the 8.5 million people affected by disasters.

 

More than 2,400 schools have been destroyed

 

More than 2,400 schools have been destroyed, and many of the remaining schools are currently used to house many of the people who are forced to leave their homes because of the water masses. Many schools are closed for teaching.

 

Quickly back to school

 

For the children, it is important quickly to come back to school and everyday life. Many children lost their school books, and here UNICEF is distributing school kits.

 

UNICEF distributes school kits

 

So far, UNICEF has distributed thousands of school kits and educational materials to over 50 schools in two of the worst hit areas, Marikina and Pasig.

 

Hygiene is a priority

 

At present, water supply, sanitation and better hygiene also have a very high priority. Cholera and diarrhoea spread easily when many people are brought together under poor sanitary conditions.

 

Sanitation kits to 340,000 people in a week

 

Therefore, UNICEF has ensured the most basic health services to slightly more than one million people. Only last week, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) kits were distributed to 340,000 people in the northern part of the country.

 

UNICEF distributes equipment for water purification and storage

 

Also water-storage containers help to improve hygiene, and UNICEF has already distributed hundreds of kits for water purification and storage to families in the worst affected areas, and that work continues.

 

UNICEF supports children

 

Many children have traumas after the disasters and therefore need psychosocial support. UNICEF is therefore establishing child-friendly places and trains volunteers to help the children.

 

UNICEF is working to reunite children and families

 

UNICEF has also worked to obtain registration of the many children who got lost, so that they can be reunited with their parents as soon as possible.

 

UNICEF NEEDS MORE FUNDS

 

UNICEF supports the Philippine government's work for vulnerable children, but there is a massive need for more funds to continue the work.

 

The Philippines was not the only country that was hard hit by a natural disaster. Indonesia and Samoa were hit hard by an earthquake and a tsunami.

All UNICEF offices are working to help many of the affected people.

 

 

Fears of new tragedies in Indonesia

 

08-10-2009 – Right now the risk of disease outbreaks and exploitation of children necessitates urgent action after the earthquake in West Sumatra.

 

Disease outbreaks might trigger a new tragedy

 

In Indonesia, the search for survivors in the ruins after the earthquake has now ceased, and UNICEF is now focusing on reducing the consequences for the affected children. The area is now characterized by very poor hygienic conditions and lack of clean water. There is a high risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases and if so, a new tragedy is feared. UNICEF is working hard to prevent this and is right now distributing water tanks, water pumps, water purification tablets and other equipment to ensure clean water and good hygiene for up to 50,000 families.

 

Safety for children

 

The earthquake has made several children orphans and thus at risk of child labour and abuse. Many are now living with relatives and friends, and UNICEF is trying to help these children by ensuring that they do not disappear and that the proper network will be contacted.

 

Fear of the future

 

Many thousands of children have been traumatized by what they have experienced. They now fear for the future. They fear that more earthquakes shall strike, or that more buildings are going to collapse. UNICEF is trying to protect these children by giving them a life as soon as possible and, i.a. by ensuring that they are back in school as soon as possible.

 

In school in a tent

 

Large parts of the schools in the area have been destroyed, and right now 90,000 children need help getting back to school. In Padang UNICEF is providing 250 tent schools so that the children can resume their education as soon as possible and thus again have a solid and comfortable everyday life.

 

180,000 houses damaged

 

So far 603 people are confirmed dead, but many are still missing, so the figure could approach 1,000. In the earthquake zone up to 40 percent of the population is for the time being without electricity, and nearly 180,000 houses have been damaged. UNICEF's efforts continue, and in addition to the work with clean water and schooling, Unicef works to ensure proper nutrition and health care for the many affected children and their families.

 

UNICEF Denmark collects money for the Asian children affected by the natural disasters

 

02-10-2009 -- UNICEF Denmark has launched an emergency collection for the children in Southeast Asia who are hard hit by a series of natural disasters.

 

Earthquakes in SUMATRA, the tsunami in the Pacific islands of SAMOA and TONGA, typhoon in the PHILIPPINES and other Asian countries. Southeast Asia is currently unusually hard hit by a series of natural disasters that have hit the region within a few days.

 

More than one thousand people killed in the desperate situation

 

More than one thousand people have been killed, and the death toll (number of people dead) is feared to rise sharply in the days to come. The situation is desperate, and hundreds of thousands of children need emergency aid.

 

Emergency assistance is dispatched from Copenhagen

 

UNICEF is fully engaged in relief work in all the countries concerned. Emergency aid is distributed from local stores. The first shipment of water purification tablets have already been sent off by plane from UNICEF World Warehouse in Copenhagen.

 

UNICEF prepares for a new disaster

 

More relief in the form of, inter alia, medicine and water purification equipment is on its way to the disaster-affected children and their families. At the same time, UNICEF gets ready to respond to another disaster in the Philippines, where a new typhoon is threatening.

 

Every hour counts

 

"Here and now it is about saving children's lives, and every hour counts. The children are extremely vulnerable when disaster strikes. UNICEF works hard around the clock in all the affected disaster areas to provide clean water, safe shelter for many homeless families and to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases, "says Steen M. Andersen, Secretary General of UNICEF Denmark.

 

Thousands of children's lives are threatened

 

Thousands of children's lives are threatened by such disasters. Our work can save the children's lives, but we urgently need funds to finance the relief effort, "says Steen M. Andersen.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 2 NOVEMBER 2009

 

Some headlines:

 

Typhoon Santi leaves 3 dead, over 2,000 homeless in Camarines Norte - (2009-11-02 10:50:56)

 

Over 200 homes damaged by Typhoon SANTI in Taytay, Rizal - 2009-11-02 08:32

 

All articles posted in this post has GMA NEWS.TV as source

 

NDCC list of impassable roads as of Nov. 2, 2009

 

(1/02/2009 | 09:10 AM)

 

When Typhon SANTI unleashed its wrath from Friday evening to Saturday morning, it left in its wake LANDSLIDES and FLOODS, DAMAGED BRIDGES, and downed power and communication lines in some areas in LUZON.

 

The cyclone may no longer be within the Philippine area of responsibility, but roads and bridges are still rendered impassable, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council's latest report on Monday morning.

 

As of Monday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said no tropical cyclone exists within Philippine territory, but a LOW-PRESSURE AREA was spotted at 400 kilometers east of Central LUZON. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

 

 

AFTER ‘SANTI,’ NDCC TO FOCUS ON REHAB WORK

 

(by Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV - 11/02/2009 | 10:03 AM)

 

After Typhoon SANTI (international name: MIRINAE) battered portions of LUZON over the weekend, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Monday said it would focus its efforts on helping the victims restore their lives.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, NDCC spokesperson, said the body would likewise zero in on towns in Laguna that are still flood-stricken.

"We are focusing on flooded areas in Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan, Lumban, and Los Baños in Laguna," Torres said in an interview on GMA’s Unang Hirit.

 

He added that the NDCC and its regional offices were able to mitigate Santi’s devastating effects because they were able to implement preemptive measures.

 

Because SANTI is the FOURTHE TROPICAL CYCLONE to visit the country for the month of October, the NDCC said they have been used to making preparations.

We were able to preposition relief goods in some regions, that’s why we are not worrying about a lot of things," Torres noted.

 

The official said they are still determining the amount of damages wrought by the typhoon, which had already exited Philippine territory and weakened into a tropical storm. Torres said only Camarines Norte‘s local government has reported that their province suffered P15.6 million worth of damages.

 

As of Monday morning, the NDCC’s tally of deaths caused by SANTI has climbed to 16. Four people were injured while four others are still missing.

 

The fatalities were identified as:

 

Tirso Ramos of Cavite

 

Roderico Cabardo, Edsel Loviña, Margie Taliño, and Julieta Zaguire of Laguna

 

Edwin Cayapas of Quezon province

 

Dodoy Delabajan and Vergel Zuniga of Rizal

 

Analiza dela Cruz, Jose Eboña, Flora Estacion, Maria Ferrer, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Rasco Rogelio, Sarah Mae Vargas of Camarines Norte

 

Louie Alano of Catanduanes

 

The NDCC said about 11,158 families or 54,630 people were affected in CENTRAL LUZON, SOUTHERN LUZON, METRO MANILA and the BICOL REGION.

 

A total of 3,924 families or 19,356 people are still taking refuge in 103 evacuation centers across the said regions, the NDCC said.

GMANews.TV

 

 

ONDOY's LESSONS IGNORED IN TRASH-FILLED MANILA CEMETERIES

 

(By Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV - 11/02/2009 | 12:10 PM)

 

The lessons from tropical storm ONDOY, which brought EPIC FLOODS in the nation’s CAPITAL partly as a result of garbage-clogged canals and drainage systems, seem to be lost on MANILA RESIDENTS who generated TONS OF GARBAGE during the observance of All Saints’ Day over the weekend.

 

Tony Dizon, a coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, said parts of the Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, and the Chinese Cemetery resembled garbage dump sites with mounds of trash piled up in many corners of the most populated burial grounds in the metropolis.

 

“We are really saddened by what we have seen. It’s as if they didn’t learn from the floods brought by ONDOY and PEPENG," Dizon lamented in a phone interview with GMANews.TV on Monday.

 

He attributed the massive flooding brought by ONDOY to the clogging of storm drainage and waterways due to plastic rubbish and other trash.

 

Every year, the EcoWaste Coalition conducts information drives in Metro Manila’s main cemeteries by handing out leaflets on the hazards of improper waste disposal. But even though they had beefed up their campaign, Dizon said: “A lot of people still throw their trash anywhere in the cemeteries."

 

Dizon said their main goal is to minimize the amount of garbage in cemeteries, which he said could pose health hazards by emitting harmful fumes. He said data from Manila City Hall showed that from November 1 to 5 last year, about 180 trucks of garbage were hauled from the Manila North, Manila South and Chinese Cemeteries. The trash collected weighed approximately 1,145 tons.

This year, Dizon said the group is hoping that the figures would go down.

 

CALLS UNHEEDED

Last week, Manila North Cemetery Administration officer-in-charge Peter Tamondong said the cemetery management and staff “can only do so much and we really need the people to help and be involved" in disposing of their trash properly.

Even Manila Police District head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay appealed to cemetery visitors to bring their own garbage bags.

But their calls fell on deaf ears.

On Monday, garbage collectors started gathering heaps of trash left by hundreds of thousands who paid their respects to loved ones in Metro Manila’s most populated cemeteries.

 

At the Manila North Cemetery, garbage trucks were loaded with trash left by an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people who flocked to the cemetery last Sunday.

 

“Garbage always piles up here during this occasion. People have no discipline. They just throw their trash anywhere," said Boy Legaspi in an interview with GMANews.TV. Legaspi visits his deceased parents and siblings at the North Cemetery.

 

GMA News’ Kara David reported that other collectors made money out of the trash by sifting through the rubbish for items made of plastic, which they would sell at P5 per kilogram. Others also scavenged for melted candle wax, which they would sell at P12 per kilogram.

 

Even as the crowd lessened at the Manila North Cemetery on Monday, security remained tight. Alcoholic drinks, sharp objects, bladed weapons, and even belts with big buckles are still prohibited within the premises.

 

LARGEST BURIAL GROUNDS

Sprawled across 54 hectares of land, the Manila North Cemetery is the country’s largest burial grounds. It is also home to at least 2,000 people who share living space with the deceased.

 

At the South Cemetery in Makati City, radio dzBB reported that food wrappers and other trash were scattered on the grounds after people visited their dead over the weekend. The South Cemetery occupies a 25-hectare expanse.

 

NOT SPARED

Even private cemeteries that are not densely populated were not spared. At the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Novaliches, Quezon City, families on picnic mode had to contend with the stench of garbage.

 

There are ample garbage bins in the cemetery, but some people still threw their trash into the nearby creek. Plastic bags, juice cups, paper plates and spoiled leftovers lay on the ground, attracting flies.

 

Meanwhile, some volunteer groups eased their clean-up operations in cemeteries Monday, anticipating a return to normal once All Souls’ Day ends.

 

- with reports from Amita Legaspi and Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV

 

 

5 areas under signal 1 as LPA develops into tropical depression

 

(11/02/2009 | 06:40 PM )

 

At least five areas in northern LUZON placed under Storm Signal No. 1 as a low-pressure area east of LUZON intensified into a TROPICAL DEPRESSION Monday afternoon.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration code-named the TROPICAL DEPRESSION “TINO," the 20th weather disturbance in Philippine territory this year.

 

Pagasa spokesman Nathaniel Cruz however said “TINO" is not directly affecting Metro Manila, which experienced rains in the afternoon.

“It is far from Metro Manila," Cruz said in an interview on dzRH radio.

 

In its 5 p.m. advisory, Pagasa said “TINO" was 270 kms east of Tuguegarao City as of 4 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center. It was moving west-northwest at 15 kph and is expected to be 90 kms north of Aparri, Cagayan or in the vicinity of Calayan Island Tuesday afternoon.

 

By Wednesday afternoon it is expected to be 420 kms northwest of Aparri, Cagayan or 330 kms West Northwest of Basco, Batanes.

 

Under Storm Signal No. 1 are Isabela, Cagayan, Babuyan, Calayan Islands, and Batanes Group of Islands.

 

Northern and Central LUZON are still reeling from the effects of tropical storms “ONDOY" (KETSANA) and “PEPENG" (PARMA).

 

Pagasa reminded residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes to take precautions against possible FLASHFLOODS and LANDSLIDES. It added the rest of Northern LUZON will have occasional RAINS and GUSTY WINDS due to the surge of the northeast monsoon.

 

The JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY said “TINO" was moving west-northwest at 17 knots (31 kph), with maximum winds of 30 knots (35 kph) near the center.

GMANews.TV

 

 

VIETNAM EVACUATES COASTAL AREAS AS STORM MIRINAE NEARS

 

(11/02/2009 | 12:34 PM)

 

HANOI, VIETNAM — Vietnam evacuated coastal areas Monday as tropical storm MIRINAE approached after battering the Philippines, where it left 20 people dead.

 

Mirinae weakened as it headed over the South China Sea and was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm. It was expected to strike Vietnam's central coast sometime Monday afternoon.

 

Vietnamese authorities evacuated 20,000 people from coastal provinces, far fewer than they moved in advance of Typhoon KETSANA, which slammed Vietnam in SEPTEMBER, KILLING 160 people.

 

Some 7,600 residents, mostly the elderly and children, have been evacuated from their homes in coastal villages in Khanh Hoa province, said local disaster official Phan Hoang Duong.

 

In the provinces of Phu Yen and Binh Dinh, north of Khanh Hoa, more than 11,000 people have been evacuated, disaster officials there said.

 

Light rain was reported in the area Monday morning.

 

Both Vietnam and the Philippines are still recovering from KETSANA, which brought the Philippine capital, Manila, its worst flooding in 40 years.

 

KETSANA and two later storms KILLED MORE THAN 900 in the PHILIPPINES. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when MIRINAE struck.

 

The latest typhoon left 20 dead, mostly from drowning, in six provinces. Four people were missing, disaster response officials said.

 

The storm did not keep the largely Roman Catholic country from paying respects to the dead on All Saints Day on Sunday. Huge crowds jammed cemeteries, with some people visiting still-flooded ones by boat.

 

In Rizal province, just east of Manila, villagers carrying flowers and candles paddled canoes into a rural cemetery that resembled a lake.

 

Joel Librilla thrust his hands into the waist-high waters to feel the letters on submerged tombstones in a search for his mother's grave.

"We don't know where to light our candles," Librilla told the Associated Press Television News. "But my mother should know that this is for her."

 

Forecasters said they were watching a low pressure area 379 miles (610 kilometers) off the country's eastern coast over the Pacific, but it was too early to tell if it will develop into yet another storm. - AP

'Santi' spoils relief goods for victims of past cyclones

(1/02/2009 | 09:19 AM )

 

Typhoon SANTI (MIRINAE) soaked in floodwaters relief goods for victims of past cyclones in a town in Laguna, forcing local officials there to ask for more food donations.

 

Santa Cruz town mayor Ariel Magcalas said Monday that the food supplies stocked in a covered court were flooded after Laguna de Bay overflowed over the weekend.

 

“We need food and water donations again as the relief goods we got for victims of cyclones ONDOY and PEPENG were soaked in floodwaters that rose up to the second layer of the stockpile of donated rice," Magcalas said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

He said the United Nations’ World Food Programme officials advised him not to distribute the damaged food.

But he said they may distribute the “relatively" intact food items, including canned goods.

 

Magcalas said that as of Monday, some 26 villages in the town remained flooded.

 

In Majayjay town, meanwhile, SANTI caused jeep fares to triple, as a collapsed bridge there caused road rerouting, and operators blamed the long detour route for the tripling of fare rate.

Radio dzBB’s Nimfa Ravelo reported that the jeep fare went up from the regular P25 to as high as P75.

 

SANTI lashed Southern LUZON and BICOL after making landfall in Quezon province last Saturday.

 

Majayjay is a fourth-class town, with a population of 23,681 people in 4,978 households. - GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

JAIME's GREATEST WISH

 

29-10-2009 – The Filipino/Philippine child Jaime is in sixth grade / class in Pasig, one of the areas that were hardest hit by the tropical storm KETSANA in late September. Jaime went on one of the schools now being used as evacuation center.

 

He dreams of finishing his school so that he can get a good job and support his father.

 

Here is the letter read out by Jaime to UNICEF Director Ann M. Veneman when she visited the affected families:

 

JAIME's LETTER:

 

"My name is Jaime C. De Venecia, Jr. My two siblings and I go to school here at Liberato Damian, where we live now because of flooding. "

 

I would like to see the water level fall - because if it does not, our house might soon collapse. Our father built the walls and the floor of the scrap he gathered on his work at a construction site. If he had not worked there, we would have no house at all.

 

If our house collapses, then again we will have no place to live. When the water level falls, I hope to get back to school. During our rapid escape from the rising water, all my school books got wet or lost in the water masses. Without the schoolbooks and uniforms I cannot go back to school.

 

My dream is to finish my education so that I can support my family. It is hard for me to see my father work so hard that his body is about to collapse / succumb.

 

I want a good job so that I can support my father. He works very hard and is doing his best to take care of us. He dreams of a bright future for us so that we do not end up like him.

 

But despite all this I am very grateful - although we hardly own anything and are very poor, we're still happy as long as we're together as a family. "

 

Jaime

 

 

UNICEF SUPPORTS CHILDREN LIKE JAIME

 

The future will show whether Jaime’s wish comes true. Currently, UNICEF supports the Philippine government's efforts to help children and families who are forced to flee the storm.

 

Jaime hopes that he can finish his school so that he can support his family. But without school books and uniforms, he cannot go back to school.

 

 

UNICEF WORKS FOR THE NEEDY:

 

• In the Philippines, nearly 2,500 schools were destroyed by the tropical storm KETSANA and the typhoon PARMA. • Hundreds of schools are now being used as evacuation centers.

 

• UNICEF has distributed several thousand school kits for children in the affected

areas so that they can return to teaching as soon as possible.

 

• Relief work progresses, but there is a massive need for more funds to support the relief work.

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

Filipino / Philippine News from GMA News.TV

 

 

‘SANTI’ DEATH TOLL NOW 18 - NDCC

 

(11/02/2009 | 11:49 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

The death toll from tropical cyclone "SANTI" (Mirinae) rose to 18 late Monday as initial damage to property was estimated at P183.5 million, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

 

In its 5 p.m. report, the NDCC said the 18 fatalities included a father and son initially reported missing after their car fell into the water when a bridge collapsed in Batangas.

 

Romulo Soriano, 40, and his three-year-old son Nicolo were found dead two days after their white Honda Civic fell into the water after the Bridge of Promise in Batangas City collapsed at the height of then-typhoon "Santi."

 

Soriano's wife Malou, 39, a health worker, had been rescued from the vehicle.

 

Other fatalities were identified as Tirso Ramos, 59 (Cavite); Roderico Cabardo, 51, Edsel Loviña, 12, Margie Taliño, 8, and Julieta Zaguire (Laguna); Edwin Capayas, 42 (Quezon); Dodoy Delabajan, 25, and Vergel Zuniga (Rizal); Analiza dela Cruz, 35, Jose Eboña, 62, Flora Estacion, 64, Maria Ferrer, 93, Rodrigo Rodriguez, 64, Resco Rogelio, 63, Sarah Mae Vargas, 2 (Camarines Sur); and Louie Alano, 30 (Catanduanes).

 

At least eight people were reported injured, including two each in Quezon and Batangas, one in Camarines Norte and one in Catanduanes.

 

The injured were identified as Malou Soriano, 39; Ronel Pasquin of Quezon; Edgardo Caraig of Batangas City; John Victor Macalalad, 4, of Lucena City; John Mar Agaton, 16, of Camarines Norte; and Maricel dela Rosa, 24, of Catanduanes.

 

Still missing are Anthony Espidido of San Roque in Liliw, Laguna; and Victoria Delmoro, 79, of Perez, Quezon.

 

At least 18,299 families or 91,526 people were affected in 409 villages of 15 cities and 76 towns in 14 provinces. Of these, 2,863 families or 13,335 people are staying in 70 evacuation centers.

 

Damage to property was estimated at P183.5 million in Southern Luzon and Bicol alone, including P157.1 million in infrastructure and P19.9 million in agriculture. Some 1,989 houses were destroyed while 11,283 were damaged.

 

Floodwaters remained in some areas of Pasig City, including parts of Sta. Lucia village, Tawi-Tawi, Arnel, New Society, VIlla Morales, and Bautista SUbdivisions. However, floods remained up to waist-deep levels in Laguna and Rizal provinces. Floods were chest-deep in Cainta town in Rizal.

 

Power was 99 percent restored in Metro Manila, but there were power interruptions in Muntinlupa City near Laguna Lake and Caa village in Las Piñas City. Electricity however is yet to be restored in Jala-Jala and Pililla in Rizal; and in Mabitac and Santa Cruz in Laguna.

 

In Bicol, power is still being restored in Paracale, Sta. Elena and Capalonga towns in Camarines Sur.

 

The NDCC said the Patete-Pakil section and San Isidro Bridge in Laguna; Bridge of Promise and Colong-Colong Bridge; and Marikina-Infanta Road (Marcos Highway) third concrete bridge in Rizal are not passable.

 

Also not passable is the Caramoran Peninsula Road in Camarines Sur.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

BIG LANDOWNERS URGED TO HELP TYPHOON EVACUEES

 

(11/02/2009 | 07:30 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

Senator Francis “Chiz" Escudero on Monday urged big landowners in the country to give up portions of their properties so that they could be developed into permanent relocation sites for relocation sites for typhoon victims.

 

Escudero however was quick to add that he is not zeroing in on business tycoon Eduardo “Danding" Cojuangco Jr., founder of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) party that the opposition senator left last week.

 

“No need to identify as this is voluntary on the part of those who will heed the call I made in the name of those who are homeless and/or living in danger zones," Escudero said in a text message to GMANews.TV.

 

A clash in ideology with Cojuangco, who chairs the giant conglomerate San Miguel Corp., reportedly prompted Escudero to bolt out of NPC. The senator, however, denied this, saying he just wanted a free hand to plan for the 2010 elections.

 

In a press statement released Monday, Escudero said the parcels of land that the landowners would donate would be converted to permanent relocation sites for current and future typhoon victims.

 

“I call on those who own tracts of land to give up portions so that these lands can be converted into relocation sites for these victims. If they have a hundred hectares, perhaps it will not be too much to ask for them to donate 10 hectares," he said.

 

He also called on big businessmen to invest in setting up factories and businesses in the relocation sites to give typhoon survivors a fresh start.

 

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said typhoon "SANTI" affected 11,158 families or 54,630 people in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Metro Manila and the Bicol Region. Of the number, 3,924 families or 19,356 people are taking refuge in 103 evacuation centers.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

11 areas under signal 1 as 'Tino' veers southwest to NLuzon

 

11/02/2009 | 06:40 PM

 

(UPDATE 1- Nov. 3, 12:41 a.m.) Eleven areas in northern Luzon are now under Storm Signal No. 1 as TROPICAL DEPRESSION TINO made an unexpected turn to the southwest Monday evening, THREATENING anew the provinces of NORTHERN LUZON that have borne the brunt of cyclones Pepeng and Ramil in past weeks.

 

 

In its 11:00 p.m. Monday bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Tino's center as of 10:00 p.m. Monday was located 200 kms east of Tuguegarao.

 

Pagasa said Tino maintained its strength with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph as it moved west at 11 kph. If it continues on its present course, the tropical depression will cross the provinces of Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur on Tuesday.

By Tuesday evening Tino is expected to be 90 kms east southeast of Vigan City.

 

In a radio interview over dzBB on Monday evening, Pagasa forecaster Manny Mendoza said a high-pressure area in mainland China could possibly push tropical depression Tino southward, but it could also be pulled northward by the tail-end of a cold front.

 

Mendoza also said that there was also the possibility of the cyclone becoming stationary if the high-pressure area in China interacted with the tail-end of the cold front.

 

To complicate matters, the Pagasa forecaster also mentioned still two other possibilities. First, that the cyclone gain strength because of the influence of a northeasterly wind flow, also known as amihan (northeast monsoon). And second, that the cyclone dissipate because of the onset of the cold season that will bring in a "dry and cold air mass."

 

Asked which of these various possibilities had the highest likelihood, Mendoza said "based on their models" that Tino would most likely dissipate into a low-pressure area and merge into the tail-end of the cold front that will pull it northward.

 

Meanwhile, storm signal No. 1 is now hoisted over the Batanes group, Cagayan (including Babuyan and Calayan islands), Apayao, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, and Northern Aurora.

 

Pagasa continued to remind residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes to take precautions against POSSIBLE FLASHFLOODS and LANDSLIDES. It added the rest of NORTHERN LUZON will have occasional RAINS and GUSTY WINDS due to the surge of the northeast monsoon.

 

GMANews.TV

 

Typhoon SANTI brings FLASHFLOODS, LANDSLIDES; 3 DEAD, over 4,000 HOMELESS - 2009-11-03 00:22:14

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTH EAST ASIA ON 3 NOVEMBER 2009

 

THE PHILIPPINES AND VIETNAM

 

 

FLOODED ANEW BY 'SANTI', LAGUNA FACES BLEAK CHRISTMAS

 

(by Sophia Dedace, GMA News.TV

11/03/2009 | 02:44 PM)

 

Typhoon Santi brought high waters back to municipal and city streets in Laguna.

 

After suffering from "Ondoy's" enormous rainfall in September, six towns and two cities in the province were inundated anew. As local governments grapple with repairs to numerous waterways, the prospects are bleak that some areas will see dry land before December.

 

Six out of Laguna’s 27 towns and two of its three cities were inundated by floods caused by Typhoon SANTI, which swept across southern Luzon last Saturday. Most of the towns sit on the shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country.

 

Arwin Santos, a 27-year-old resident of Barangay Tagumpay in Bay town in Laguna, said in an interview Tuesday that most people in his village lost their sources of livelihood. His computer shop, for one, had to contend with waist-deep flood waters in the wake of SANTI.

 

But even as they are reeling from the twin disasters, Santos and other Laguna residents are in store for greater suffering. Vicente Tomazar, director of the Office of Civil Defense in Region 4-A, said it might take until December before the floods are flushed out.

Tomazar told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that waterways and floodways are still being constructed or fixed, making it difficult for the floodwaters to recede fast.

 

In the meantime, he said his office and local government units would continue helping displaced Laguna residents who have taken refuge in 45 evacuation centers across the province.

 

Santi is the fourth tropical cyclone to hit the country after Ondoy battered portions of Luzon last September 26.

 

NDCC’s FOCUS

 

LAGUNA is among the provinces badly hit by SANTI across the CENTRAL LUZON, SOUTHERN LUZON, BICOL, and METRO MANILA REGIONS.

 

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, spokesperson of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said that they would focus their rehabilitation efforts in Laguna’s flood-stricken towns.

 

According to the NDCC’s latest report Tuesday, more than 60 percent or 183,243 people of Santi’s victims reside in Laguna province.

 

Thirty percent of the 3,129 totally damaged houses and almost 48 percent (11,736 houses) of the partially damaged houses are also in Laguna.

 

Of the P3.8 million worth of relief goods allotted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for Santi’s victims, P2.3 million (more than 60 percent) are allotted for affected residents in the province.

 

BUSINESS AS USUAL

 

Despite the damage, some residents remain hopeful that they could overcome what Ondoy and Santi took away from them.

 

Erasto Arinuelo resides in Laguna’s capital city of Sta. Cruz, said: “Business as usual." He added that vendors from the city’s public market transferred to the city plaza in Barangay Poblacion to sell their wares. Despite the thick layer of mud that residents are still trying to remove from the streets, Arinuelo said the bustling activity proves that despite the tragedy, life still goes on.

 

In Majayjay, Laguna, where two bridges collapsed under the force of Santi, locals remain unfazed despite their near-isolation from the outside world.

 

The two bridges destroyed were Atillo Bridge in Bgy. San Isidro and the Olla Bridge in Bgy. San Miguel. Ever since the two bridges collapsed, commuters have to take an alternate route through Luisiana town to get to the provincial capital of Santa Cruz, extending travel time to more than an hour and raising the jeepney fare from P35 to P50.

 

Majayjay Mayor Victorino Rodillas told GMANews.TV that rains brought by Santi last weekend buried some streets in knee-deep floods and mud.

 

Without waiting for assistance from the national government, Rodillas gathered the town personnel and launched clearing operations in the streets. "Help from the national government is not necessary. We can do it by ourselves," he said.

 

Rodillas said he has advised people living near the collapsed bridges to move out to prevent injuries in case of further stormy weather. Like Rodillas, his constituents are equally hopeful.

 

"We will do our best to recover," said Jennylyn Breganza, a student from Majayjay.

 

- with a report from MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV

 

 

Storm signals lifted as ‘Tino’ weakens into low pressure area

 

(11/03/2009 | 06:32 PM )

 

State weather forecasters on Tuesday afternoon lowered all public storm warning signals in northern and central LUZON as tropical depression “TINO" WEAKENED into a low pressure area.

 

According to the 2 p.m. bulletin by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the low pressure area was last spotted 120 kilometers north-northeast of Casiguran, Aurora province.

 

TINO, earlier forecast to make landfall over Aurora province as early as Tuesday afternoon, weakened into a low pressure area due to the surge of the northeast monsoon or amihan, Pagasa said.

 

Pagasa however still warned of occasional RAIN SHOWERS over the eastern section of northern and central LUZON due to the low pressure area.

 

Tino is the 20th cyclone to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this year. Pagasa earlier said it expects one to two more cyclones to affect the country’s weather before the year ends.

 

Andreo Calonzo, GMANews.TV

 

(Update) 'MIRINAE' KILLS 23 in VIETNAM, leaves families stranded on rooftops

 

(11/03/2009 | 08:21 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

HANOI, Vietnam — Tropical Storm Mirinae unleashed severe flooding in parts of central Vietnam, killing 23 people, leaving two missing and stranding families on rooftops, disaster officials said Tuesday.

 

Five more bodies have been recovered, bringing the death toll in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen to 15 people after the storm hit Monday, drenching the region with heavy rains, said disaster official Dang Thi Lanh.

 

"Many villages remain cut off by rising waters and we expect the death toll to rise," she said.

 

Several villages in neighboring Binh Dinh province suffered the worst flooding in four decades after the Ha Thanh River surged over its banks, said disaster official Nguyen Van Hoa. Five people were killed by falling trees or washed away by floods in Binh Dinh and two others were missing, Hoa said.

 

In Khanh Hoa province, south of Phu Yen, three people were killed, a disaster official there said refusing to give his name.

 

The military sent two helicopters to drop instant noodles to people in isolated villages and to rescue people who were still trapped on rooftops a day after the storm, which lost force as it moved inland.

 

"We have received many calls for help from people who are still stranded," Hoa said by telephone.

 

Ho Quoc Dung, vice chairman of Binh Dinh provincial People's Committee, said some 400 soldiers were mobilized to use speed boats to reach areas cut off by flooding and have ferried out more than 1,000 villagers.

Several thousand remain stranded, he said.

 

MIRINAE hit the PHILIPPINES with typhoon strength over the weekend, KILLING 20 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

 

Both VIETNAM and the PHILIPPINES were still RECOVERING from Typhoon KETSANA, which brought the Philippine capital of MANILA its worst FLOODING in 40 years when it struck in September. KETSANA KILLED 160 people in VIETNAM.

 

In the PHILIPPINES, KETSANA and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck.

 

In a separate incident in northern Vietnam on Monday, one woman drowned and five others were still missing after a whirlwind toppled two boats in the northern province of Quang Ninh, disaster official Le Thanh Nam said.

Sixteen other passengers managed to swim to safety after the boats sank, Nam said. - AP

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

AN ARTICLE FROM GMA News.TV / THE PHILIPPINES

 

In Bicol, a private center warns gov't of coming storms

 

(by Andreo C. Calonzo, GMANews.TV - 11/03/2009 | 08:50 PM)

 

Throughout the country, Pagasa (“hope") has also come to mean “weather forecaster" since it is the acronym for the state meteorological agency. But somewhere in the Bicol region, there is another source of hope when a weather disturbance threatens.

 

Like other Bicol provinces, Camarines Sur is among the country’s most typhoon-hit provinces, and had to brace itself against all four cyclones that hit Luzon in quick succession since end-September.

 

But thanks to the province’s Typhoon Preparedness Center, local government officials were able to get weather advisories that the state weather bureau, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), could not always provide.

 

“Our Typhoon Preparedness Center has really been a big help here. They issue hourly updates especially those within Pagasa’s six-hour interval," said Edison Petalio of the Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).

 

The Naga College Foundation, a non-government organization, established its Typhoon Preparedness Center (TPC) six months ago with the aim of providing Bicolanos with early warning whenever a weather disturbance nears the region.

Since then, the TPC has become what PDCC officials described as a “good supplementary data source" to information provided by the state weather bureau, which usually posts storm bulletins every six hours.

“In between gaps, we have another source of information," Petalio said.

 

TPC Director David Michael Padua, known to locals as “Mr. Typhoon," said the main purpose of the private weather station is to more thoroughly inform people in Camarines Sur of approaching weather disturbances.

 

TPC relies on forecasts of foreign weather agencies, which Padua and two other volunteers translate into information useful for their own local weather forecasts, to alert the provincial and other local governments of Camarines Sur.

 

For instance, when cyclone “SANTI" battered the nearby province of Camarines Norte last week, the TPC posted weather advisories in its website every three hours. These weather advisories have been localized, providing information such as typhoon location and strength specifically for Camarines Sur’s four districts.

“What we’re doing is really for ordinary folk, for them to get rid of their worries and to be prepared," he said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV.

 

The center also conducts trainings and seminars for government officials, students and teachers, for them to have a better understanding of weather forecasting and early warning during typhoons.

 

 

WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MEDIA

 

Padua, a University of the Philippines geography graduate who has been doing weather forecasts since 1996, said meteorology has always been his passion.

“Ever since I was a kid, I get excited whenever there is a typhoon. I even go out of the house in such weather," Padua said.

He opted to go back to his home province after finishing his studies to do what he loves best—weather forecasting. Luckily, the NCF, which one of his relatives own, gave him the opportunity to do so.

 

Although a private center, the TPC closely coordinates with local government officials to achieve its goals.

“We link up with local governments to help them, and also for them to help us", Padua said.

 

He added that the Camarines Sur provincial government is planning to provide the center with a Doppler radar (a modern weather radar that uses the Doppler effect for better rainfall forecasting).

 

The TPC is also tapping local media in Camarines Sur and the Internet for it to be able to disseminate its weather advisories.

“That’s because you can find almost all the data in the Internet, and need only to explain them in layman terms," Padua said.

 

He likewise maintains a website called Typhoon2000.com, which he describes as a “one-stop shop" for information Filipinos need for a coming weather disturbance.

 

In this site, which he maintains using his own money, Padua posts links not just to Pagasa but to a big number of foreign weather forecasting agencies and sources of satellite imagery, including the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center and the Japan Meteorological Agency.

“I can’t complain about the accuracy of their forecasts, especially those of the US and Japan. I hope Pagasa improves because its own forecasts are deteriorating," he said.

 

He added that Pagasa should continue training and research on weather forecasting, since the country is geographically located in a region prone to extreme disturbances such as typhoons.

 

“We are the number one country visited by cyclones in the world. So we should also be the leader in research. It depends on the government, really," he said.

 

Padua said that TPC is still relatively new, and is trying to do further research in storm tracking in the Philippines in the hope of better informing people about weather disturbances entering the country.

 

 

DOST not keen on local storm trackers

 

But Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Estrella Alabastro is not keen on having independent local storm trackers.

 

“It is something we cannot prevent, but the disadvantage is local trackers like these do not have accountability. These are just private persons. That’s because with Pagasa, when our forecasts are a bit off, we really stand by it," Alabastro said in a separate interview with GMANews.TV.

 

Alabastro said it is better if local storm trackers like TPC will coordinate with Pagasa or DOST.

 

“It would be better if he simply links up with us. (We) should listen to our institutions. These institutions we have are really accountable to us," she said.

 

Alabastro added that her department already has a modernization plan for the state weather bureau, which involves the procurement and upgrading of weather forecasting equipment, as well as the training of personnel.

 

“Pagasa has improved quite a bit. But we need resources. The President is good in attending to our needs. It might take time, but we will get there. We just have to have the will to do things that needs to be done," she said. – GMANews.TV

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 4 NOVEMBER 2009

 

THE PHILIPPINES - from GMA NEWS.TV

 

Weather from Pagasa (23°C to 29°C). At 5 p.m. Wednesday, a northeast monsoon affects Luzon and Visayas while a wind convergence affects Mindanao. There is no existing tropical cyclone within the Philippine area of responsibility.

 

 

Floods isolate 9 Aurora villages; evacuation ordered

 

(11/04/2009 | 09:35 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

HEAVY RAINS since TUESDAY night caused FLOODS that isolated residents in at least nine villages in Casiguran town in Aurora province, even as state weather forecasters said there is no cyclone presently in Philippine territory.

 

Aurora Governor Bella Castillo said early Wednesday that she has ordered the forced evacuation of families in the affected areas, after they refused earlier calls to flee.

"It has been raining since Tuesday night, and nine villages in Casiguran have been flooded," Castillo said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

Casiguran is a third class town with a population of 22,403 people in 4,366 households. The municipality has 24 barangays (villages). The exact number of villagers affected by the floods was unknown as of posting time.

 

NO CYCLONE

 

Ironically, state weather forecasters said there was no cyclone in Philippine territory as of late Tuesday. Tropical Depression TINO, which was earlier projected to hit Aurora, had weakened on Tuesday morning.

 

A separate report on dzXL radio said the Philippine Coast Guard has sent teams to Casiguran to help in the rescue operations.

Castillo said she had ordered the evacuation of the flood-prone areas since Tuesday when the rains started to fall, but residents did not heed her.

She said many of the families appeared to think that since they were spared by recent cyclones, they did not feel the need to flee. - "Only two families agreed to evacuate. The others did not," she said.

 

The governor said she had contacted the Philippine National Police and Philippine Army to forcibly evacuate the residents.

 

She also said she contacted the Department of Public Works and Highways to deploy heavy equipment and dump trucks to help in the evacuation. - "I asked the Army and local police to start forced evacuation," she said.

 

GMANews.TV

 

MAGNITUDE -5.4 QUAKE ROCKS MINDANAO - PHIVOLCS

 

11/04/2009 | 07:36 PM - GMA News.TV

 

A magnitude-5.4 quake rocked parts of Mindanao Wednesday afternoon but caused no damage. State seismologists however warned of possible aftershocks in the next few hours.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was recorded at 2:22 p.m., with the epicenter traced 78 km northeast of Mati, Davao Oriental.

 

It said the quake was tectonic and was felt at Intensity III in Davao City, Tagum City, and Taguna in Davao Oriental.

 

The quake was felt at Intensity II in Bislig City, General Santos City, Kidapawan City, Cateel, Davao Oriental; Padada, Davao del Sur; Digos City; Carrascal, Surigao del Sur; and Kabacan, North Cotabato.

 

Earlier, the United States Geological Service (USGS) said the epicenter was also 140 km south-southeast of Hinatuan, 190 km northeast of General Santos City, or 1,035 km southeast of Manila.

 

GMANews.TV

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Updates of the Situation in Southeast Asia

 

REPAIR OF ‘KILLER BRIDGE’ IN BATANGAS CITY STARTS

 

11/04/2009 | 09:50 PM - GMA News.TV

 

The public works department has started repairing a bridge in Batangas City that collapsed during the height of typhoon SANTI over the weekend, killing two people.

 

Romulo Soriano was crossing the Bridge of Promise with his family inside their car when the infrastructure, located at Barangay Kumintang, collapsed, killing him and his three-year-old son Nicolo. His wife Malou survived the incident.

 

It took authorities two days to find the victims' bodies.

 

Victor Domingo, acting secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), ordered the swift reconstruction of the Bridge of Promise, which he said plays a key role in the transport of petroleum products to Metro Manila.

 

"We are prioritizing the repair and rehabilitation of destroyed bridges so the people can move and transport goods, especially the Bridge of Promise, which is used by gas tankers to transport gasoline from the depot in Batangas to Metro Manila," he said.

 

DPWH senior undersecretary Manuel Bonoan said there would be no fuel interruption in Metro Manila because fuel trucks could use alternate roads and bridges while the Bridge of Promise is under repair.

"There are detour roads where people and fuel trucks can pass through,'' he said.

 

The reconstruction of the bridge would cost about P76 million and would take about three months to complete.

 

DPWH Region 4-A director Bonifacio Sequit said parts of the budget would be sourced from Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel) for 2010.

 

Aside from the Bridge of Promise, THREE OTHER BRIDGES, all in Majayjay town in LAGUNA, were also DAMAGED by SANTI, which exited the country Monday.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

30 FAMILIES RESCUED IN ISABELA DUE TO HEAVY RAINS

 

11/05/2009 | 01:38 AM - GMA News.TV

 

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Some 30 families have been evacuated in San Mariano, Isabela on Monday due to continuous rains in the Cagayan Valley region.

 

Joint teams from the Isabela Search Rescue and Response Team (ISRRT) and Isabela provincial police force reported that the rescued families who were trapped by flood waters in lower San Mariano’s sitio Pugo, barangay Maluno Norte have been rescued and are now safely housed in an evacuation center.

 

LANDSLIDES have been reported in capital town Ilagan’s Camonatan village and two other villages in San Mariano including Sta. Filomena.

 

MUDFLOWS were also recorded in District 1 of Benito Soliven town while hundreds of residents living near the Pinacanauan and Abuan Rivers in Ilagan were evacuated by rescue teams to higher ground. There were no reported injuries.

 

A Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) service vehicle which was parked near a cliff reportedly plunged over after the weakened earth gave way to rushing waters.

The vehicle’s four crew members who were undergoing road clearing operations escaped unharmed.

 

Meanwhile, the overflow bridges in Gucab and Annafunan in Echague town and Alicaoacao in Cauayan City were rendered impassable as of Monday along with Minanga Bridge in San Mariano and Pigalo Bridge linking the towns of Angadanan and San Guillermo.

 

Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

QUEEN MARGRETHE OF DENMARK VISITED VIETNAM WHICH WAS HIT BY A FATAL STORM

 

(03-11-09: 18:34 - TV2 Gossip)

 

At least 40 DEAD after a TROPICAL STORM ravaged VIETNAM during Queen Margrethe’s visit in Vietnam.

But the Danish visitors are not in danger.

 

At least 40 human lives lost and 11 missing in connection with the tropical storm MIRINAE that ravaged central Vietnam. This information was given by the Vietnamese authorities.

 

For the time being, the Danish Queen Margrethe is on official visit in Vietnam. But the Danish visitors – the Danish Queen, the Prince Consort Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary – were not in danger. On Tuesday, the Danish Queen participated in a series of events in Hanoi in Northern Vietnam.

 

Various TOWNS in the provinces Phu Yen and Quang Ngai are FLOODED due to OVERFLOWING RIVERS. At some places the STREETS are FLOODED – the water depth is more than one meter according to the NEWS PORTAL VIETNAMNet.

 

The storm with winds of up to 133 km per hour and 600 millimeter rains hit the provinces Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai and Khanh Hoa on Monday.

MIRINAE has destroyed more than 150 houses, and the roofs of several schools and health clinics have blown off.

 

This Monday alone, Vietnam Airlines cancelled 34 flights to and from the central part of the country.

[nancyk58]

Updates of the situation in SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 5 NOVEMBER 2009

 

The Philippines - GMA News.TV

 

Laiban and San Roque: two dams, two protest actions

 

(11/05/2009 | 06:22 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

The two dams might be hundreds of kilometers apart; one is operational, the other still to be built. But both the proposed Laiban dam in Tanay, Rizal province and the gigantic San Roque dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan province have already generated volumes of turbulent debate on the pros and cons of harnessing rivers in such a massive way.

 

Saying the Laiban Dam construction would only do harm than good, an indigenous peoples’ group opposed to the P50-billion dam project will seek a dialogue with the officials of the San Miguel Bulk Water Corporation on Monday next week.

 

Napoleon Buendicho, tribal governor of the indigenous group, said the dialogue would be their main agenda when they reach Manila on November 9 after their 148-kilometer march from General Nakar town in Quezon province.

 

“The construction of dam will deepen our POVERTY because it will destroy our means of livelihood. Not only that, it will also DESTROY Our CULTURAL TRADITION because it will submerge our communities and the sacred burial grounds of our forefathers," Buendicho said.

 

Dubbed as “Lakad Laban sa Laiban Dam," the long-range protest action commenced on Wednesday with representatives from indigenous peoples, environmentalists, and non-government organizations joining the march.

 

The planned Laiban dam will be constructed across the Kaliwa River in Tanay, Rizal by the water subsidiary of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in partnership with two Japanese firms. The multi-billion project has been touted to be METRO MANILA’s “future water source."

 

The project is in line with the aim of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to address the national capital region's expected water supply deficit of 1,600 million liters per day by 2015.

 

CRITICS, however, rejected the project, claiming that it THREATENS the ENVIRONMENT and would render THOUSANDS of people HOMELESS and JOBLESS.

 

The march is led by environmental group Save the Sierra Madre Network (SSMN), together with Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama).

Haribon Foundation, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Ysiro Land Farmers, Sagibin Indigenous People’s Organization, Green Convergence, Urban Poor Center for Community Action (UPCCA), COPE, Infanta Ecowaste Coalition, and the Prelature of Infanta, Quezon Province are also joining the protest.

 

 

SAN ROQUE DAM PROTEST

 

Meanwhile, other various groups are likewise set to hold a protest caravan against the SAN ROQUE DAM in PANGASINAN, which was blamed for THE MASSIVE FLOODING along the lower Agno river basin when Typhoon PEPENG hit northern LUZON last October.

 

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said it has been almost a month since the disaster devastated the province but nobody has been held accountable.

 

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said that aside from distributing relief goods to calamity-stricken areas, the group will conduct a signature drive aimed at supporting the growing calls to shut down the dam or at least drastically reduce its operation.

 

“Our mobile sign-up drive hopes to gather as many signatures as we can. We also want to support the people and their local officials who are considering the filing of a case against the San Roque dam officials," he said.

The caravan will start from Quezon City, pass through Pangasinan, then up to Baguio City.

 

The caravan participants plan to distribute relief goods in Baguio and other areas in the Cordillera region that have been isolated or damaged by landslides during Pepeng’s destructive one-week spin across the region. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV

 

 

3 people feared dead in Isabela province floods

 

(11/05/2009 | 09:39 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

Three missing people in Isabela are feared dead in the wake of floods caused by three days of heavy rains in the province, the local police chief said Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Jimmy Rivera said the three - two from Santa Maria town and one from Ilagan town - were feared to have drowned."We have three missing presumed to have drowned Wednesday. One is in Ilagan and two in Santa Maria," Rivera said in an interview on dzXL radio.

 

In Casiguran town in Aurora province, meanwhile, a five-year-old boy was reported missing.

A report by dzBB radio's Ronald Leander identified the boy as Enrique Caiclian.

 

The report also said Calanguasan village in Casiguran remained flooded, while families evacuated from other flooded villages have started returning to their homes.

In Isabela, Rivera said, low-lying areas were badly hit by floods due to three days of continuous heavy rains, though he said the rains had stopped Thursday.

 

He also said there were LANDSLIDES in San Mariano and Benito Soliven towns but there were no reported casualties.

 

A pickup of the Department of Public Works and Highways fell into a 30-foot ravine while conducting rescue and clearing operations in Sta. Felomina village in Santa Maria. No casualty was reported.

 

Rivera said some 1,700 families or 32,700 people were displaced because of the floods.

 

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said in its 6 a.m. Thursday report that at least 6,656 families from 31 villages in Ilagan, Benito Soliven, San Mateo and Delfin Albano towns in Isabela were evacuated.

 

A total of 24 families or 5,753 people were evacuated to the Carbonel Funeral Homes and Isabela National High School.

 

IMPASSABLE BRIDGES, ROADS

 

In Cagayan, the Tawi Overflow Bridge in Peñablanca, Pinacanauan Bridge in Tuguegarao City and Bagunut and Abusag overflow bridges in Baggao were impassable.

 

Also impassable were:

* Cansan Overflow Bridge in Cabagan; Pilig, Abajao and Pilig Alto villages

* Minanga Bridge in San Mariano connecting Poblacion

* Alicaocao Bridge in Cauayan City

* Diator Overflow Bridge in Angandanan connecting San Guillermo

* Sitio Pugo and Maluno Norte in Benito Soliven near Ilagan boundary

* Cabisera 4 village in Ilagan

 

FLOODS

At least 18 villages in Casiguran and Dilasag towns in Aurora were flooded, with waters going up to neck-deep levels.

 

The NDCC said 166 families or 795 people were brought to four evacuation centers.

 

It also said the Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road in Cabangan River in Villa Aurora village in Maria Aurora town was impassable due to floods.

 

DAMS

 

Angat Dam released water due to large inflows of water, opening its spillway gates at 11 p.m. Wednesday to allow the inflow to pass through the spillway.

The NDCC said that as of 4 a.m. Thursday, one gate was open.

"Residents near the river particularly in the municipalities of Norzagaray, Angat, San Rafael, Bustos, Baliwag, Pulilan and Hagonoy are advised to take all precautionary measures," it said.

 

GMANews.TV

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 6 NOVEMBER 2009

 

Pagasa: Finally, A STORM-FREE WEEKEND

 

(11/06/2009 | 08:21 AM GMA News.TV)

 

Except for RAINS due to the northeast monsoon, the Philippines may finally expect a CYCLONE-FREE WEEKEND after experiencing stormy ones since late September.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said there is no weather disturbance likely to affect the country this weekend.

 

"For now there is no weather disturbance likely to enter Philippine territory this weekend," Pagasa forecaster Arnel Gonzales said in an interview on dzBB radio Friday.

 

But Gonzales said there may still be some RAINS brought by the northeast monsoon in LUZON and VISAYAS. A WIND CONVERGENCE will affect Mindanao, he added. These may bring cloudy skies and rainshowers, he said.

 

Gonzales also said a low-pressure area (LPA) spotted east of Philippine territory is still too far to affect any part of the country.

 

"There is a possibility it may enter Philippine territory. November is a time powerful cyclones hit us. But there is also a possibility it may not pass through our area of responsibility," he said.

 

But in its 5 a.m. bulletin for Friday, Pagasa said the whole country will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and isolated thunderstorms.

 

Pagasa also said strong to gale force winds are expected to affect the seaboards of LUZON.

 

Only last weekend, Typhoon SANTI (Mirinae) charged through Southern Luzon and Bicol, leaving several people dead or missing.

 

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said that as of Thursday, the DEATH TOLL from SANTI had gone up to 26, with six still missing and 12 injured.

 

Of the 26 fatalities, one was from Muntinlupa City in Metro Manila; 17 from Southern Luzon; and eight from the Bicol Region.

 

The six missing included one from Muntinlupa City, one from Camarines Norte, and four in Laguna.

 

GMANews.TV

 

 

NDCC: 'SANTI' DEATH TOLLL CLIMBS TO 29, DAMAGE NEARS P500M

(11/06/2009 | 12:27 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

The death toll from tropical cyclone "SANTI" (MIRINAE) rose further to 29 Friday morning while damage to property it caused neared the P500-million mark, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

 

In its 6 a.m. update, the NDCC said the fatalities included 11 from Laguna in Southern Luzon, and 10 from Camarines Norte in Bicol.

 

At least six remained missing, including four from Laguna, and one each from Muntinlupa City and from Camarines Norte.

 

The NDCC said at least 101,749 families or 483,490 people from 1,018 villages in 20 cities and 121 towns in 13 provinces were affected.

 

Of these, 3,635 families or 18,562 people remained in 95 evacuation centers.

 

Damage to property was estimated at P494.698 million, including P307.77 million in infrastructure, P97.968 million in agriculture, P37.05 million in fisheries and P45.41 million in schools.

 

Some 6,655 houses were destroyed while 27,385 were damaged.

Electricity was still being restored in some towns in Laguna, Quezon and Rizal provinces as of 6 a.m.

 

Impassable roads and bridges included the Paete-Famy Poblacion Road which was submerged in knee-deep floods; and Camarines Sur-Caramoan Peninsula Road.

 

GMANews.TV

 

Special Report: CHILD VICTIMS OF STORM ONDOY REMAIN TRAUMATIZED

(2009-11-06 08:12:45 - GMA News.TV)

 

OTHER HEADLINES :

 

A NIGHT OF MONSOON RAIN

 

BSP keeps rates unchanged to support rehab efforts

 

Deficit cap may be breached as govt spends for ONDOY, PEPENG DAMAGES

 

 

(Update) Storm Mirinae death toll in Vietnam climbs to 87

 

(11/04/2009 | 04:51 PM - GMA News.TV)

(Update) VIETNAM STORM DEATH TOLL RISES TO 91

 

(11/04/2009 | 09:47 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

HANOI, Vietnam — The DEATH TOLL from Tropical Storm MIRINAE ROSE TO 91 in VIETNAM on Wednesday as authorities stepped up rescue and relief operations in affected areas of the central region.

 

In the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen, 26 more deaths were reported as information trickled in from isolated areas, bringing the death toll there to 65, disaster official Dang Thi Lanh said Wednesday. An additional 13 people were missing.

Elsewhere in the region, the storm and flooding left 26 people dead and five others missing, according to disaster officials and the government's Web site.

 

In Phu Yen, soldiers in dozens of speed boats rushed instant noodles, water and clothes to victims in flooded areas who have gone hungry for the past several days, Lanh said. Three military helicopters were also dropping food to victims in isolated areas.

 

Although flood waters were beginning to recede, many areas remain inundated.

 

Authorities have evacuated nearly 15,000 people from Phu Yen. Some were rescued from rooftops, where they had scrambled to escape the overflowing Ha Thanh River.

 

In the neighboring province of Binh Dinh, two military helicopters dropped food and water to villagers still stranded in isolated areas, said Ho Quoc Dung, deputy chairman of the provincial People's Committee.

 

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent a telegram late Tuesday urging local authorities to use all means to bring people still stranded to safety and provide them with temporary shelters and food, the government said on its Web site.

The storm and flooding also left 52 people injured, destroyed or damaged 14,000 homes, and damaged about 12,400 acres (5,000 hectares) of rice and other crops, according the national committee for flood and storm control.

 

MIRINAE hit the PHILIPPINES with TYPHOON strength over the weekend, KILLING 27 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward VIETNAM .

 

Both VIETNAM and the PHILIPPINES were still recovering from Typhoon KETSANA, which brought the Philippine capital of MANILA its WORST FLOODING IN 40 YEARS when it struck in SEPTEMBER. KETSANA KILLED 160 people in VIETNAM.

 

In the PHILIPPINES, KETSANA and two later storms KILLED more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck. - AP

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UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 7 NOVEMBER 2009

 

TROPICAL CYCLONE SANTI DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 30

 

(11/07/2009 | 12:35 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

The death toll from tropical cyclone SANTI (Mirinae) rose to 30 on Saturday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

 

In its 6 a.m. report, the NDCC said the latest fatality was from Camarines Norte in Bicol, adding the other fatalities were from Metro Manila and southern Luzon.

 

NDCC said the latest fatality was Arthur Tierra, 23, of Alayaw village in Capalonga town in Camarines Norte. It indicated he died of drowning.

 

At least six people remained missing, including one each in Bicol and Metro Manila and four in Laguna, while 20 were injured.

 

'Santi' affected at least 107,466 families or 510,161 people in 1,028 villages in 22 cities and 121 towns in 13 provinces.

 

Of these, 5,213 families or 24,954 people are staying in 123 evacuation centers.

 

At least 6,866 houses were destroyed while 28,211 were damaged.

 

Damage to property was estimated at P494.698 million, including P307.77 million in infrastructure and P97.968 million in agriculture and P37.05 million in fisheries.

 

Still impassable are San Isidro Bridge, Atillo Bridge and San Miguel Bridge in Majayjay, and Santo Angel Bridge, all in Laguna; Bridge of Promise along Batangas-Lobo Road and Colong-Colong Bridge along Palico-Balayan Road in Batangas; and the third concrete bridge along

Marikina-Infanta Road in Rizal.

 

Paete-Famy Poblacion Road is impassable to light vehicles due to knee-deep floodwaters, while Caramoan Peninsula Road along Presentacion-Maligaya section in Camarines Sur is passable to

motorcycles only. - GMANews.TV

 

 

 

IOM STARTS 2nd WAVE OF RELIEF WORK FOR RP CYCLONE VICTIMS

 

(11/07/2009 | 02:03 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started the "second wave" of its relief work for victims of recent cyclones, distributing hygiene kits to 8,000 families.

 

An article on the IOM website said the hygiene kits, distributed to families in Muntinlupa City, is the second wave of its humanitarian aid.

 

It said the 8,000 families were among those affected by tropical cyclone "Santi" (Mirinae), the most recent cyclone to hit the country.

 

The IOM also distributed cleaning kits that included shovels, brooms, scrubs and gloves.

 

It said the distribution of the kits will continue through the end of the week in two of the hardest hit areas – Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and the National Capital Region (NCR).

 

Last October, IOM distributed 20,000 hygiene kits and water containers contributed by USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to typhoon-affected families in the two areas.

 

Citing government figures, IOM said more than 60,000 families were affected by "Santi," straining the already stretched capacity of responding agencies.

 

IOM has appealed for some $10 million to provide health services, emergency shelter and non-food relief items for the victims, and to help the government organize evacuation centres and other displacement sites.

 

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the European Commission (ECHO), and USAID (OFDA) have already committed nearly $2.25 million, which will allow IOM to help some 61,000 families over the next three.

 

GMANews.TV