Typhoon Koppu made landfall in the north-east province of Aurora on Luzon island, generated ferocious gusts that ripped up trees, destroyed buildings and brought down powerlines and brought a deluge of torrential rain causing flash floods and landslides. The slow-moving typhoon blew ashore with fierce wind in the northeastern Philippines… The storm continued to lash the region with heavy rain and strong winds, though the catastrophic rainfall scenario of 20 to 40 inches or more has not yet come to fruition. Several of the affected provinces, led by Nueva Ecija, have been inundated by floods in that swelled rivers & cascaded down mountains, trapping villagers of their homes, stated Nigel Lontoc of the Workplace of Civil Defense.
Advertisement
Justin Morgan, Philippines country director for the charity Oxfam, said the impact of the typhoon was becoming clearer.
Manila – Emergency workers on Monday fanned out across flooded areas in the northern Philippines to rescue residents trapped on their roofs after Typhoon Koppu triggered floods and landslides. “All the rice stalks were flattened in one direction”.
Jacinto spoke from atop a high bridge where dozens of farmers stayed in the open overnight with their families, and their pigs, goats and chickens.
At least 12 people have died and six more are missing after the arrival of Koppu.
It predicts the storm could be uniquely destructive because of the length of time it will hover over the disaster-prone country, which has experienced more than 15 typhoons this year alone.
Seven people died when their boat capsized, while a boy was killed after he was hit by a fallen tree in the capital Manila.
Disaster-response agencies said the rain dumped by Tropical Storm Koppu in the mountainous north flowed down rivers and flooded villages downstream in provinces like Pangasinan, where thousands of residents were evacuated Monday.
The weather bureau has said that the Typhoon is expected to remain over the main island of Luzon for the next three days.
There are two typhoons in the west Pacific at the moment – Typhoon Champi sits just to the east of Koppu.
Advertisement
The Philippines is usually battered by 20 major storms a year, a lot of them deadly.
