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The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed at least 20 people, authorities announced Monday, while communications in the worst-hit areas remain cut off.
Catanduanes Island and Alpay County on Lawson Island are the hardest hit by the storm, which was accompanied by winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour, when it hit the east coast on Sunday.
Winds and torrential rains uprooted house roofs, power lines and landslides.
The storm, which was heading west, lost its strength when it reached Manila, before heading towards the South China Sea.
“We are appalled at the damage this hurricane has caused in many regions, including Catanduanes Island and Alpay province,” Philippine Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said in a statement.
“In some areas, up to 90 percent of the houses are seriously damaged or destroyed,” he said, adding: “This hurricane has invaded the lives of residents, adding to the physical, emotional and economic problems caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes before the cyclone hit, and most of them are still in shelter centers, while authorities are working to restore electricity and communications to the affected areas.
Fourteen people were reported dead in Alpay County, but the county’s chief of disaster prevention services, Cedric Daeb, confirmed that if the houses had not been evacuated, thousands of people would have died.
“There was significant damage to infrastructure and housing,” he said.
“Many people are hungry. They were mainly affected by Covid-19 due to the loss of their jobs and the relocation of their homes. Some do not even have kitchen utensils,” he added.
‘Severely affected’
Seven of the victims fell in a landslide town caused by volcanic ash from the nearby active Mayon volcano.
The mayor of Guinobatan told local media that 147 homes were flooded and some of them were no longer habitable.
“Goni” was classified in the category of “strong hurricane” when it made landfall on the island of Catanduanes, where at least six people died. The authorities estimate that the greatest material damage has occurred on this island.
“We are very affected here,” said local district governor Joseph Kowa.
Most of the power lines on the island were cut due to the hurricane, while reports indicate that the death toll may rise further.
“We hope that the help will come soon. We are short of money,” Sawa told CNN in the Philippines.
Initial estimates from the Civil Defense indicate that 20,000 homes were destroyed and another 55,000 were partially damaged. There was also significant damage in agricultural areas.
“The floods happened in a matter of minutes, not hours,” Alona Espino told AFP in the city of Batangas, south of Manila, adding: “We have never seen such rapid flooding.”
The Philippines witnesses a score of tropical storms and hurricanes every year that destroy crops, fragile homes and infrastructure, leaving entire population groups in permanent poverty.
Haiyan was the worst typhoon in modern history in 2013, killing more than 7,300 people, especially in the central city of Tacloban, which was inundated by giant waves.
