Typhoon leaves dozens dead, 30,000 stranded in Philippines
Pastor Dale Morgan
Typhoon leaves dozens dead, 30,000 stranded in Philippines*
AFP - Sunday, June 22
ILOILO (AFP) - - Flash floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon
Fengshen left dozens dead in the Philippines, while an overflowing dam
stranded tens of thousands on rooftops, officials said Saturday.
At least 30,000 people living in Iloilo in the central Philippines had
scrambled onto rooftops fleeing the rushing water after the man-made dam
overflowed, said the city's acting mayor Jed Mabilog.
Rescuers have reported that many could be missing or killed, though this
could not be independently confirmed, he said.
"I have received a lot of text messages appealing for helicopters, there
are many people trapped on the rooftops," Iloilo congressman Serg Biron
told DZBB radio. "This is the worst flooding that has hit Iloilo in
history."
Fengshen, upgraded from a tropical storm on Friday, swept through the
country's center over the weekend, unleashing torrential rains, causing
power outages and forcing the evacuations of hundreds of thousands of
people.
Officials said earlier that flash floods and landslides triggered by the
typhoon had left dozens dead.
In the urban centres of Jaro and Iloilo, residents waded through
waist-high waters that made roads impassable to vehicles.
The National Power Corporation was forced to shut down its power plant
in the area, triggering a blackout across the province, plant manager
Nelson Hemona said.
Roads connecting the southern cities of Cotabato and General Santos on
Mindanao island were flooded, while a concrete bridge also collapsed,
isolating some villages and towns, Catholic-run radio station DXMS reported.
The storm forced more than 200,000 people to seek temporary shelter in
the eastern Bicol region, the civil defence office said.
Heavy rains battered the Bicol region overnight, and more than 600
people were stranded in various seaports there.
Fengshen also uprooted small trees, blew away tin roofs and caused power
outages in the central Visayas provinces.
At 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Saturday, Fengshen was tracking northwest,
packing winds of 195 kilometres an hour as it headed towards Mindoro
province.
It was forecast to dump heavy rain over large swathes of the central
Visayas region and parts of the main island of Luzon through Sunday, the
weather bureau said.
Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes were warned about
possible flash floods and landslides, while those in coastal areas were
cautioned about big waves.
Officials said domestic flights to the central Philippines have been
suspended, while inter-island ferry services were also halted.
Government agencies were instructed to stockpile relief goods and
state-run hospitals were put on alert.
President Gloria Arroyo ordered a crackdown on profiteers and hoarders
of basic commodities, especially rice, in areas hit hard by the typhoon.
In a statement late Saturday, shortly before she left on a 10-day visit
to the United States, she said Agriculture Secretary, Arthur Yap, has
been ordered to ensure stable rice supplies in affected areas.
"If Frank (the local name for Fengshen) will bring flood, Art (Arthur)
will respond by flooding these areas with rice," she said.
"If they will exploit the situation, hoarders will soon find themselves
in hot water," she said.
Arroyo met with the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and
she said the government would do everything it could to get relief to
the affected areas.