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Sunday, November 01, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
NationBY ADRIEL M. PAGLINAWAN
Santi exits Philippines;2 more storms brewing
TYPHOON Santi (international name:Mirinae) is forecast to exit the Philippines Sunday morning as it moves towards the South China sea, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Saturday.
In its 4 p.m. report, the weather bureau said Santi, with peak winds of 105 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 135 kph, is moving west at 20 kph and is continuing to move away from the country.
The storm is forecast at 670 km west-southwest of the capital Sunday afternoon. Storm signal 1 is still up over Lubang island.
The weather bureau has lowered storm signals in most of Luzon Saturday afternoon as the typhoon weakened into a tropical storm.
At least 6 people dead
In a television interview, National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. said preliminary reports showed that Santi left six persons dead.
He said damage assessment is still ongoing, noting that many houses in Southern Luzon and the Bicol region have been damaged.
Mr. Teodoro said Camarines Norte's provincial disaster council has requested additional rice assistance for typhoon victims
Rescue, relief deployed
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployed rescue teams Saturday afternoon to some flood-hit areas in Metro Manila and in the province of Laguna after the typhoon brought rain across most parts of Luzon over the weekend.
In a television interview Saturday afternoon, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo S. Brawner said it deployed four rescue teams, equipped with rubber boats and trucks, to rescue families who were stranded on their roofs in Santa Cruz, Laguna.
He added that the military's National Capital Region Command also sent out rescue teams to flood-hit areas in Pasig, San Juan, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.
Mr. Brawner said some 422 families in Lucena City in the province of Quezon were rescued by the AFP's Southern Command. The military also distributed relief goods in the province.
Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza I Cabral assured that there is adequate supply of relief goods for Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and Bicol region. About 140 trucks, carrying relief supply to these regions, left Metro Manila last Thursday.
At least two more storms coming
In a briefing on Saturday, PAGASA administrator Prisco T. Nilo said the weather bureau expects at least two tropical cyclones to enter Philippine waters until December.
He said it is monitoring cloud formations over the Pacific Ocean which might develop into an active low pressure in the coming days.
Mr. Nilo said it is now safe to travel by land to northern and Central Luzon. There is very minimal possibility for Santi to make a "u-turn", he said.
International and local flights were allowed as of 10 a.m. Saturday.
Mr. Cruz, however, warned of storm surges in the western coast of the mainland.
Among the major dams in Luzon, only Ambuklao dam in Benguet is releasing water at a rate of 22 cubic meters per second, he added.
Mr. Cruz said power failures and landslides hit Southern Luzon early Saturday as Santi made landfall at Alabat island off the coast of southern Quezon 12 a.m. on that day.
In a television interview, National Disaster Coordinatong Council (NDCC) spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto C. Torres, Jr. advised Metro Manila residents to postpone their visits to cemeteries and columbaria this Sunday as some areas in the capital remain flooded.
According to Mr. Torres, at least 116,000 persons remain sheltered at 251 evacuation centers in Metro Manila, Southern Luzon (Region 4) and the Bicol region (Region 5). He added parts of Quezon City and eastern Metro Manila have been hit by power failures.
Mr. Torres said the towns of Pagsanjan, Lumban and Santa Cruz in Laguna were badly hit by landslides and floods. "A lot of roads are not passable in these areas," he said.
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