Death toll reaches at least 35 in latest Philippine typhoon

Asian Economic News, Dec 13, 2004

MANILA, Dec. 3 Kyodo

Powerful Typhoon Yoyong, which pounded the main Philippine island Luzon from late Thursday, killed at least 35 people in landslides, electrocutions and by falling trees, disaster officials said Friday.

Thirteen others have been reported missing since the typhoon hit eastern Luzon Thursday night. Nine others are reported hurt.

A government disaster report said the victims died either of electrocution, drowning, hypothermia or by being hit by fallen trees.

Nearly 20,000 families, most of whom from the southern Tagalog and Bicol regions south of Manila have been affected by the storm.

Typhoon Yoyong, called 'Nanmadol'' internationally, was the 24th storm to hit the Philippines this year.

At its peak, it had a 600 to 800 kilometer radius, causing widespread power outages. Schools and government offices were closed Thursday, most public transport was suspended and many flights were canceled.

Local authorities Friday began large-scale disinfection to prevent any possible outbreak of waterborne diseases in villages ravaged by four successive storms that tore through Luzon in the last 20 days.

More than 1,000 people have died or are still missing due to mudslides and flash floods brought about by heavy rain that pounded the country's biggest island, according to the military.

Many of those killed were drowned or buried in landslides, which took their heaviest toll in three coastal towns in Quezon Province about 75 km east of Manila.

Philippine Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit urged residents and local government officials to bury their dead kin within 24 hours and to take all other possible precautions.

''Our biggest enemy now is diarrhea, especially in areas where water and food are contaminated,'' Dayrit said in a local radio interview. ''We already sent chlorine granules (to the affected areas) to disinfect the water to make sure the water and food are safe.''

He warned that infectious diseases may break out in evacuation camps, especially if residents become ''emotional and psychological'' and refuse to bury the dead.

''Our recommendation is to bury the dead in 24 hours, especially if they don't have embalming facilities. Otherwise, there will be the danger of epidemics,'' said Dayrit, adding that additional cadaver bags have been sent to the affected areas.

Large swathes of land, including roadways, in central and northern Luzon are still submerged in water as ''Yoyong'' moves away from the island toward southeastern China. Yoyong is expected to cut through Taiwan and may hit Japan's Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday.

More than 300,000 people were affected by the storms that started Nov. 14, a civil defense official said. Those who were forced to evacuate have been housed in several schools and town halls that serve as evacuation centers.

Tropical depression Winnie brought as much as 20 centimeters of rain since early Monday over a wide area from Bicol all the way up to central Luzon, including to the capital. The heavy downpours further weakened soil already soaked and softened by earlier typhoons Unding and Violeta and causing more landslides and flash floods in coastal towns in eastern Luzon.

In Quezon Province alone, officials said 479 people were killed in mudslides that swept away houses and more than 500 others are missing due to the tropical depression.

Powerful gusts uprooted trees, twisted steel towers and knocked down bridges, rendering many roadways impassable. Many cars were also stranded in flash floods, and some vehicles were swept away in waist-deep water.

Donations continue to pour in for the victims.

Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has donated more than 28 million yen worth of goods, including tents, water purifiers, blankets and generators.

The Philippines is visited by an average 19 typhoons each year, but many are killed each time from massive landslides and flash floods due to illegal logging, poor preparation and domestic garbage that clogs waterways, especially in the capital.

Already, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered a ''nationwide crackdown on illegal loggers and their financiers.''

''Illegal loggers must now be placed in the order of most serious crimes against our people,'' she has said.