They didn't seem to know what hit them. Mindanao provinces that
have rarely been in the path of a storm suffered heavily from the impact
of Typhoon Pablo on Tuesday, and its full extent is only now coming to
light.
Some residents in Davao Oriental took shelter in flimsy evacuation centers that fell apart in the face of Pablo's ferocious winds, with one refuge reportedly swept away in a landslide with its terrified evacuees.
There was enough warning of the coming typhoon for authorities to evacuate residents in advance, but there was apparently a lack of solid structures in communities in rural southern Mindanao to serve as temporary shelters.
NDRRMC data
Some residents in Davao Oriental took shelter in flimsy evacuation centers that fell apart in the face of Pablo's ferocious winds, with one refuge reportedly swept away in a landslide with its terrified evacuees.
There was enough warning of the coming typhoon for authorities to evacuate residents in advance, but there was apparently a lack of solid structures in communities in rural southern Mindanao to serve as temporary shelters.
"We have 325 dead and this is expected to rise because many more are
missing," civil defense chief Benito Ramos told a news conference.
He did not give a fresh total for the number of missing after Typhoon
Bopha ravaged the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday.
However he noted that both figures were "rising rapidly from single- to triple-digits" as rescuers reach more remote areas.
Shortly before the latest announcement, Ramos' office, the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, had put out a tally
listing 322 dead and 328 missing.
"Communications are bogged down, there is no electricity, roads and bridges have been destroyed," Ramos said.
"We're still on a search-and-rescue mode," he added.
NDRRMC data
In its 11:30 p.m. update, the NDRRMC also said 401 people were injured, while 378 are still missing in the wake of the typhoon.
Among the most recent reported fatalities were those from Cebu and Compostela Valley, the NDRRMC said.
The NDRRMC said Typhoon Pablo had affected 48,317 families or 229,734
people in 488 villages in 145 towns and 22 cities in 25 provinces.
Of these, 38,084 families or 177,452 people are being served inside 397 evacuation centers.
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday, the NDRRMC said 3,531 passengers were stranded
along with 496 rolling cargoes, 105 vessels and 19 motor bancas.
At least six bridges and 14 roads were affected.
Power had been restored in Bohol but Siquijor, Negros Oriental and parts of Cebu still experience power outages.
At least 1,400 houses were destroyed in Region 10 and Caraga, while 1,570 were damaged.
Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley have been placed under a state of calamity.
Evacuation centers "not well-built"
Evacuation centers "not well-built"
Despite the preemptive evacuation of residents hours before landfall,
poorly built evacuation centers may have been the weak link in the
response of authorities in Davao Oriental province to the threat from
Typhoon Pablo (Bopha).
Maj. Gen. Ariel
Bernardo, head of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, said Wednesday that
some of the evacuation centers in the province collapsed.
"Doon sa Davao Oriental and even sa Compostela Valley, nagkaroon ng
preemptive evacuation Monday night ... Sad to say sa Davao Oriental ...
sa lakas ng hangin, ulan at bagyo, talagang evacuation center may
nag-collapse. They were not enough (In Davao Oriental and even
Compostela Valley, we conducted preemptive evacuation Monday night. Sad
to say, in Davao Oriental, some of the evacuation centers collapsed
after being exposed to strong winds and heavy rain)," he said in an
interview on dzBB radio.
Citing figures reaching him, he said 115 people died in Davao Oriental, 148 were injured, and 21 were missing.
When asked if Davao Oriental's officials may not have been ready for
such evacuation because the area had not been hit by typhoons before, he
only said the structures were not well-built.
"Ang structures nila, hindi well-built to withstand, hindi gaya sa
Bicol (The structures may not have been well-built to withstand such
forces, unlike those in Bicol)," he said.
For now, Bernardo said their priority is to get cadaver bags for the bodies of fatalities.
Typhoon Pablo plowed through Mindanao and Visayas on Tuesday after
making landfall in Davao Oriental. State weather forecasters said it may
exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday.
Stunned survivors
Corn farmer Jerry Pampusa, 42, and his pregnant wife were marooned in their hut but survived.
"We were very scared," Pampusa said. "We felt we were on an island because there was water everywhere."
Another survivor, Francisco Alduisa, said dozens of women and
children who had taken shelter in a village centre, had been swept away.
"We found some of the bodies about 10 km (6 miles) away," Alduisa
told Reuters. The only building left standing in his village was the
school.
Another survivor, Julius Julian Rebucas, said his mother and brother disappeared in a flash flood.
"I no longer have a family," a stunned Rebucas said.
An army commander said two dozen people had been pulled from the mud in one area and were being treated in hospital.
About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, often causing death and destruction.
Almost exactly a year ago, Typhoon Sendong (Washi) killed 1,500 people in Mindanao. — with Reuters/ELR/HS, GMA News
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