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Monday, May 19, 2008
Tropical storm 'Cosme' kills 4 in N. Luzon
MANILA -- At least four people were reportedly killed while two others were injured and thousands of families have been affected as tropical storm Cosme battered Northern and Central Luzon since Saturday.
Anthony Golez, spokesman for the multi-agency National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and concurrent deputy administrator of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), said they received initial reports that the four fatalities are from La Union and Pangasinan.
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One of the victims was identified as Markus Quinto, 40, a resident of Urdaneta City, Pangasinan. He was inside his house when a camachile tree fell and knocked his house down, causing his death.
In the Bugallon town, La Union, the provincial disaster coordinating council reported two fatalities. One was identified as 72-year-old Lourdes Castro, who died after a roof collapsed on her.
The identity of the other fatality in La Union has yet to be established, but initial reports said he was hit by metal debris.
Officials also reported deaths in Urdaneta City and San Fabian, but this according to them has yet to be verified.
Golez said the death toll is not yet official unless the Department of Health (DOH), an attached agency of the NDCC, is able to verify the deaths.
"There are four unconfirmed deaths -- three from La Union and one from Pangasinan. The DOH is currently verifying the deaths," said Golez.
He said based on the monitoring, Zambales and Pangasinan appeared to be the hardest hit.
NDCC chairman and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. meantime flew to the two provinces on Saturday to oversee the ongoing relief efforts by field units and the local government units (LGUs).
Golez said roofs of the majority of the houses in San Narciso in Lingayen, Pangasinan were flown due to strong winds, adding that Teodoro has asked the local NDCC to make a damage assessment, which he said would be the basis in the amount of assistance to be given.
The NDCC has already distributed 100 sacks of rice to the affected areas in Pangasinan. The Provincial Government and the military were also tasked to help with the repair of houses destroyed by Cosme.
In Zambales, Governor Amor Deloso said at least 7,000 families in Sta. Cruz town became homeless when their residences were destroyed by the typhoon. All in all, he said at least 75,000 families have been affected by the weather disturbance, the fourth to hit the country this year.
The NDCC and OCD also reported damages left by Cosme particularly in Baguio City.
According to reports, Baguio City is slowly picking itself from the ruins brought by the typhoon, even as most areas of the city remain in darkness.
Initial reports from the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) disclosed that volunteers have their hands full attending to emergency cases involving fallen trees and securing the safety of residents near landslides.
Flooding has occurred in the City Camp Lagoon in Baguio City as rains finally ebbed to a drizzle around 3 p.m. Sunday, and in most areas, electricity has been out for 21 hours.
"It's still too early for an assessment of damages right now. What is official as of the moment is that there are no casualties in Baguio," said Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr.
As of 10 p.m. Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) bulletin showed Cosme continues to weaken while passing through the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon.
It was estimated as of 5 p.m. Sunday to be 150 kilometers (kms) East of Aparri, Cagayan, and traveling with maximum winds of 85 kilometer per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 120 kph. It is forecasted to move Northeast at 22 kph.
Signal number 1 is hoisted at the Batanes Group, Northern Cagayan, and Babuyan group of islands.
By Tuesday, Cosme is expected to be 1,030 km northeast of Basco, Batanes or 440 km east-southeast of Okinawa, Japan.
Pag-asa said Cosme will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring occasional rains over Southern Luzon and Western Visayas. Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes are still advised to take all the necessary precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (May 19, 2008 issue)
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