Typhoon “Emong” weakened and was downgraded to a mere tropical storm as it passed close to the Babuyan Islands on its way to Batanes, leaving behind multiple fatalities, ruining crops, and destroying valuable infrastructure.
It was forecast to head north northeastward and exit the Philippine area of responsibility this morning.
“Emong” will continue to weaken due to an increasingly unfavorable environment, and is likely to degenerate further today as it enters the East China Sea, the state weather bureau said in its 5 p.m. bulletin yesterday.
The three storms in a row, Crising, Dante, and Emong, combined with the southwest monsoon, have claimed 26 lives as of the latest tally, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported at 6 p.m. on Friday.
The disaster response agency also disclosed that at least eight others remain missing.
A total of 4.6 million people across the country were affected by the successive weather disturbances, but these figures are still undergoing validation, the NDRRMC said.
The affected population includes 1.2 million families across 5,036 barangays nationwide.
Nearly 900 areas remain submerged in floodwaters, while 195 roads and 18 bridges are currently impassable due to the ongoing adverse weather conditions.
Damage estimates have surged, with housing losses pegged at P3.28 million.
Agricultural damage has reached P430 million, while infrastructure losses have ballooned to over P4.8 billion, latest estimates show.
Government assistance worth P232.4 million has been provided to the victims so far, according to the NDRRMC.
Manila, the country’s capital city, was still under a state of calamity yesterday, along with 87 other cities and municipalities across the country.
In the capital’s Tondo district, authorities were forced to evacuate residents of Barangay 128, which covers the Smokey Mountain area, due to landslides.
According to reports, the landslides occurred Thursday afternoon in two large sections of the landfill.
“We decided to evacuate them through forced evacuation. We evacuated everyone who lived there and brought them to the covered court evacuation center. We have recorded 54 families; they are here now.” Barangay 128 Kagawad Chito Carza said.
Elsewhere in the country, rescue operations were underway in Tagaytay City after a landslide caused a perimeter wall to collapse and bury a construction workers’ barracks.
Four workers were reportedly trapped during the incident that took place in Barangay Iruhin West, provincial authorities said Thursday.
The victims, all construction workers, were resting when the ground gave way, they added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said that a United States KC-135 aircraft was set to deliver humanitarian and disaster response (HADR) equipment to the Philippines.
“The aircraft is currently in Japan and it is awaiting departure. We do not have yet the exact date or time kung kailan siya mag-a-arrive dito sa Philippines. But what is important is that support from the US is coming in. Again, it is a KC-135 aircraft bringing in HADR equipment. It’s a little bit larger than our C-130.” PAF Deputy Spokesperson Maj. Joseph Richard Calma told reporters.
However, he said that more than 40 PAF aircraft are also on standby, ready to be deployed for relief missions to communities affected by the enhanced southwest monsoon and multiple tropical storms.
“We have more than 40 (air) assets on standby. We (already) have one (W-3A) ‘Sokol’ helicopter, it is already prepositioned at Clark Air Base in Pampanga. And we also have our S-70i ‘Black Hawks’ that are on standby alert now in Basa Air Base (in Floridablanca, Pampanga). They are now ready to respond to immediate evacuation,” Calma explained.
Aside from helicopters, he said fixed-wing airlift assets, such as the C-130 and C-295 medium transport planes, are also ready to transport relief goods.
He noted that PAF also has aircraft that can be used for rapid damage assessment and even medical evacuation, if needed. (with Dennis Abrina)
