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Monday, May 15, 2006
32 killed in storm's wake: agency
MANILA -- A total of 32 people were killed while over 8,000 families were displaced after tropical storm Caloy (international codename: Chanchu) battered some areas in the Visayas and Luzon over the weekend, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said on Sunday.
Official figures released by the OCD said 25 persons perished when motorboat Mae-ann 5 capsized off Masbate City on Friday.
Another fatality from the Bicol region was hit by a falling coconut tree.
Four persons were killed due to fallen coconut trees and collapsed wall in the Southern Tagalog region; one died in Western Visayas when a fishing boat capsized; and one other fatality in killed Metro Manila but the cause of death was not mentioned.
The civil defense also said eight people remained missing as of press time and were the subjects of search and rescue operations. Thirteen others were reported injured, including three from Caloocan City.
So far, the civil defense was able to account for at least P18.7 million in damages to infrastructure and agricultural crops in Batangas Province alone. The agency has yet to receive damage assessments from other field offices.
In the town of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro, the amount of palay, corn, and bananas damaged when the weather disturbance wrecked havoc on three farms measured 4,100 hectares.
Some 8,473 families or 42,123 persons in Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas regions, and Metro Manila were affected. Of the figure, 1,572 families or 7,893 persons are staying in evacuation centers.
The civil defense said 608 houses were destroyed while 3,542 others were damaged due to flooding and landslides caused by the storm, which was estimated at 360 kilometers west southwest of Metro Manila as of 10 a.m. Sunday.
It said concerned field offices of the social welfare department are monitoring the developments "for augmentation assistance". The department has sufficient relief supplies ready, it added.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered disaster officials to attend to the areas damaged by the tropical storm and see to the needs of the families affected.
Ermita said the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) should make relief goods available and attend to the relatives of the 32 who were killed, as well as the eight who are missing and the 13 injured. He said 8,473 families or 42,133 persons were affected by Caloy's onslaught in the country.
Arroyo visited the NDCC Office in Camp Aguinaldo Friday night to get an update on the effects of the storm.
NDCC Executive Director Glenn Rabonza said the President has ordered an investigation into the sinking of the Mae-ann 5, which left port despite early warnings by the weather bureau and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang sympathizes with the victims of the storm and assures them of support and assistance. He appealed to the public to heed warnings issued by government authorities in cases of calamities and to join relief operations.
Bunye, who is also the Presidential spokesman, said aside from providing relief and rehabilitation to affected communities, government is also keeping an eye on the prices of basic commodities.
He said the President has also instructed the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to work closely with the transportation and public works departments and the concerned local authorities to check the giant billboards across the metropolis that could pose a serious threat to the public during strong typhoons. (VR/JMR/Sunnex)
(May 15, 2006 issue)
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