Philippines braces for another storm, after deadly typhoon
Pastor Dale Morgan
Philippines braces for another storm, after deadly typhoon*
MANILA, Oct 2 (AFP) Oct 02, 2006
A new tropical storm headed for the Philippines on Monday, threatening
to disrupt relief efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Xangsane, which
killed 76 and left millions without power and drinking water.
Packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour,
the storm was located 690 kilometers east of the Bicol region, the
southeast section of the main island of Luzon which was hard hit when
Xangsane struck the Philippines last week.
Before hitting Vietnam Sunday, Xangsane toppled electrical posts,
uprooted trees and caused landslides and flooding in the Philippines.
The official death toll as of late Sunday stood at 76 deaths, with 69
people still missing.
The new storm was expected to intensify as it moves into northern Luzon,
where electricity and drinking water supply have yet to be fully restored.
"The disturbance is likely to intensify further," the state weather
bureau said, adding that the storm would be felt within the next 24 hours.
It said a "surge of strong winds is expected" over Bicol, the central
provinces as well as in the southern island of Mindanao, and urged the
public to "take appropriate actions."
President Gloria Arroyo visited the storm-hit town of General Trias
south of Manila on Monday and ordered round the clock relief efforts to
make sure there will be no additional casualties as the new storm
approached.
She also ordered police and military security to protect fallen
electrical posts amid reports copper wires were being stolen.
"(They) have to be the ones to work together to secure the wires and
everything else that have fallen against looting," Arroyo said.
Distributor Manila Electric Co. said services had been restored to 94
percent of customers in the greater Manila area as of Monday.
But it said fallen trees, billboards and other debris were hindering
repair work in areas south of Manila, which still remained in the dark
four days after the typhoon.
"We also continue to receive reports that some of our fallen wires are
being stolen," company spokesman Elpi Cuna said, urging the authorities
to help guard the downed facilities.
The Office of Civil Defense said that some 170,000 people in and around
Manila were still living in evacuation centers.