by magnolia_eic | Jul 20, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
RESCUERS retrieved three more bodies from the sea on Sunday, raising the death toll from tropical storm Basyang (international name: Conson) to 68, but more bad weather was hampering search operations.
Damage to farm, infrastructure and private property rose to P188 million on Sunday from P22.3 million last Friday, according to a report released by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) at 5:00 a.m. Sunday.
Benito T. Ramos, chief of the Office of Civil Defense and executive director of the NDCC said rescuers, including volunteers and troops, continued to scour coastal areas in the country’s southeastern seaboard on Sunday, where the majority of the 84 still missing from a sunken fishing vessel were reported.
However, he said fresh rains brought on by a new weather disturbance east of the main island of Luzon were hampering search and rescue operations. State weather forecasters however said it was unlikely to develop into a full-blown storm.
Basyang slammed into the country on Tuesday, directly hitting the capital Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Jul 19, 2010 | Headlines, National News
THE death toll from tropical cyclone “Basyang” (Conson) continued to climb, hitting 38 as of Friday morning, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.
In its 6 a.m. report, the NDCC said 38 have been confirmed dead while 47 remained missing and 18 were reported injured. Of the 38 fatalities, 13 were from Bataan, 21 from Southern Luzon, and four from Bicol region.
Among the latest fatalities was Edwin Ledesma, captain of the tanker “Deborah Uno” that sank off Mariveles town in Bataan.
The missing included one in Central Luzon, eight in Southern Luzon, 37 in Bicol, and one in Western Visayas.
At least 30,644 families or 153,426 people were affected in 411 villages in nine cities and 63 towns in 12 provinces in Central and Southern Luzon, Metro Manila and Bicol.
Some 1,757 families or 8,918 people remained in 51 evacuation centers as of Friday morning, the NDCC said.
The NDCC said at least 2,591 houses were destroyed while 16,067 houses were damaged.
Damage to agriculture, infrastructure, fisheries and schools in Southern Luzon, Bicol and Metro Manila was estimated at P147.556 million.
Some 71,724 metric tons of vegetables worth P1.398 million was lost from 207 hectares in Laguna. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Jul 14, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
TYPHOON Basyang (international codename Conson) ripped through the main Philippine island, leaving a trail of wreckage in Manila and sweeping shanties into the sea, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.
The Office of Civil Defense said 19 fishermen from the eastern island of Catanduanes had failed to return home and were missing at sea after the typhoon hit the area late Tuesday.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities but communication systems were down amid the chaos of the typhoon’s aftermath, and disaster relief officials were still trying to determine the extent of the damage.
Electricity was knocked out throughout the main island of Luzon, including the country’s capital where fallen tree branches and other debris littered the streets.
Manila’s overhead railway system was also shut down due to the power outage. Knee-high floods and fallen trees were still blocking some roads in and around the capital, obstructing traffic.
The government called off classes at grade and high school levels in Manila.
Several flights in and out of Manila were cancelled as the typhoon was passing but airport officials said their operations had returned to normal after the storm passed.
Basyang, packing maximum gusts of 120 kilometers (74 miles) an hour, hit the eastern side of Luzon late Tuesday and crossed the island before exiting before dawn Wednesday, heading west into the South China Sea at 22 kilometers an hour. (PIA-Bohol)
