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PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-DISASTER-TYPHOON
Typhoon Phanfone kills at least 16 in Philippines
MANILA, Dec 27, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A typhoon that swept across remote
villages and popular tourist areas of the central Philippines on Christmas
day claimed at least 16 lives, authorities said on Thursday.
Typhoon Phanfone, with gusts reaching 200 kilometres (125 miles) an hour,
tore roofs off houses and toppled electric posts as it ripped through the
central Philippines on Wednesday.
Videos from the typhoon’s path showed fallen trees and strong winds
pummelling flimsy houses. Local disaster officials cut felled trees to clear
blocked roads.
At least 16 people were killed in villages and towns in the Visayas, the
central third of the Philippines, according to disaster agency officials.
Phanfone also hit Boracay, Coron and other holiday destinations that are
famed for their white-sand beaches and popular with foreign tourists.
Mobile phone and internet access on Boracay was cut during the storm and
the networks remained down on Thursday, making assessment of the damage there
difficult.
“Still, communication lines are down. Electricity is still down,” Jonathan
Pablito, police chief of Malay town in Alkan province, which is on an island
neighbouring Boracay, told AFP.
Pablito said ferry services between Boracay and Aklan — the main way to
travel to and from the holiday island — were still not operating on
Thursday, even though the storm had passed.
“We have no news from coast guard if ships were allowed to sail. Since the
24th… all those going to the island and coming from the island weren’t able
to cross.”
The airport at Kalibo town in Aklan, which services Boracay, was badly
damaged, according to a Korean tourist who was stranded there and provided
images to AFP.
“Roads remain blocked, but some efforts have been made to clear away the
damage. It’s pretty bad,” Jung Byung-joon said via Instagram messenger.
“Everything within 100 meters of the airport looks broken. There are a lot
of frustrated people at the airport as flights have been cancelled.
“Taxis are still running but it’s windy and still raining so no one wants
to leave the airport, including me.”
Another Korean tourist stuck at the damaged airport said she had been
unable to make contact with her friend on Borocay on Thursday.
“I tried to call my friend in Boracay today and wasn’t able to get through.
Maybe something isn’t working,” Dahae Gong told AFP via Instagram.
“I don’t know when I will be able to go home.”
– Memories of monster storm –
Still, there was no indication of any major damage or otherwise on Boracay.
Though much weaker, Phanfone tracked a similar path as Super Typhoon Haiyan
— the country’s deadliest storm on record which left more than 7,300 people
dead or missing in 2013.
“It’s like the younger sibling of Haiyan. It’s less destructive, but it
followed a similar path,” Cindy Ferrer, an information officer at the Western
Visayas region’s disaster bureau, told AFP.
In San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro, a video uploaded by the local
government showed overturned fishing vessels and ruined shanties on the coast
due to the storm.
Tens of thousands of people in the mostly Catholic nation were forced to
evacuate their homes on Wednesday, ruining Christmas celebrations.
Many others were not able to return to their families, with ferries and
plane services suspended.
Among those killed was a police officer electrocuted by a toppled post
while patrolling.
The Philippines is the first major landmass facing the Pacific typhoon
belt, and is hit by an average of about 20 major storms a year.
Many of the storms are deadly, and they typically wipe out harvests, homes
and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0854 hrs