'PEDRING' DAMAGE MAY EXCEED 'ONDOY'S / PEDRING DAMAGE PLACED AT P12 B
MANILA, OCTOBER 6, 2011 (STAR) By Alexis Romero (Photo - Residents wade through floodwaters to get to food and water in Paombong, Bulacan. With several areas in Central Luzon still inundated, the government has stepped up assistance and relief operations in affected communities. Edd Gumban)
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday said the amount of property damage caused by typhoon "Pedring" may exceed that of tropical storm "Ondoy" in 2009.
Office of Civil Defense Administrator Benito Ramos said the P8.8-billion property damage caused by Pedring could still go up, since they are still consolidating reports from the field.
Tropical storm Ondoy damaged P10.9-billion worth of agricultural products and infrastructure.
"That (property damage of Pedring exceeding that of Ondoy) is a possibility but I hope it would not happen," he said in an interview yesterday.
Ramos noted that the typhoon, which left the country last Sept. 28, damaged costly infrastructure such as bridges.
"We have yet to receive some reports on agricultural damage from Central Luzon," he added.
In Pangasinan alone, the latest estimate of damage has reached P717 million, and local officials said it could go higher.
Ramos said the combined amount of property damage caused by Pedring and "Quiel" would likely surpass that of Ondoy.
The property damage caused by Pedring stood at P8.804 billion as of yesterday while disaster management officials are still assessing the impact of Quiel.
"The amount of damage caused by Quiel would not be that much since it affected the same areas ravaged by Pedring. There is nothing much to destroy," Ramos said.
He, however, said the number of casualties of Pedring would be less than Ondoy, which claimed 464 lives.
Ramos attributed this to the improved awareness of the public and the disaster response measures of the government.
"People were not prepared for Ondoy, which caused eight hours of non-stop rains. In the case of Pedring, we were able to warn them early," he said.
Latest reports from the NDRRMC showed that the death toll for Pedring has risen to 55 while that of Quiel has climbed to nine. A total of 31 people were reported missing due to the two typhoons.
More than 2.83 million people were affected by the typhoon in 3,284 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western Visayas, Cordillera and Metro Manila regions.
On the other hand, a total of 417,737 persons in 825 barangays were affected by typhoon Quiel. The affected residents were from the Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon and Cordillera regions.
A state of calamity has been declared in parts of Ifugao, Isabela, Aurora, Quirino, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Maguindanao.
Aside from those in Bulacan, Malabon and Navotas, at least 13 municipalities in Tarlac are still under floodwaters.
The bodies of five victims of flooding were also recovered on Saturday in Camiling and another in Dansol, adding up to the total of casualties tallied by the NDRRMC.
The flooding in Maguindanao, however, is not related to the two recent typhoons but is due to continuous heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon.
No respite
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said no tropical cyclone is expected to affect the country in the next three days, but rains brought by the intertropical convergence zone and the southwest monsoon would continue.
Graciano Yumul, PAGASA supervising undersecretary, said the low pressure area that was earlier expected to become a tropical depression has already dissipated.
"Up to Friday, the country will be cloudy with light rains. No tropical cyclone in the vicinity per satellite and numerical models," he said.
PAGASA weather division chief Robert Sawi said two to five more cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility before the end of the year.
"The track is Northern and Central Luzon for October; Central and Southern Luzon for November and Southern Luzon and Visayas for December," Sawi said.
Yumul said the cyclones during the latter part of the year are usually make landfall.
A total of 17 cyclones have so far entered the Philippines this year.
PAGASA also warned the public against venturing into the seas of Northern Luzon, saying the western seaboard of Northern Luzon will have rough to very rough seas with wave heights expected to reach 3.7 to 4.5 meters.
"Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out to sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves," it said. – Helen Flores, Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu, Cesar Ramirez, Eva Visperas
FROM MALAYA
Typhoon damage placed a P12 billion BY REGINA BENGCO BULACAN. – President Aquino on Wednesday said there is no need to declare a national state of calamity despite the extensive damage wrought by typhoons "Pedring" and "Quiel," which has reached more than P12 billion.
Damage from storm Ondoy, which inundated many parts of Luzon and the Visayas and affected Mindanao in 2009, reached about P10.9 billion but then President Arroyo declared a national state of calamity.
Damage so far from Pedring was placed at P9.443 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council National (NDRRMC).
NDRRMC executive director and concurrent Office of Civil Defense administrator Benito Ramos said damage to agriculture and infrastructure from Pedring now stands at P9.443 billion, P600 million more than last Tuesday's figure.
The damage is about P1.5 billion less than that from Ondoy.
Aquino conducted a whirlwind inspection of damaged infrastructure in Tarlac, Pampanga and Bulacan provinces and made quick visits to evacuation centers.
Central Luzon disaster officials also told Aquino that damage to agriculture has reached P12 billion and to infrastructure, P652 million. Of the P12 billion, P11 billion is from rice and P522 million is from corn. Around 760,207 metric tons of rice was lost due to the typhoons.
"Not at this time," the President said when asked about a possible nationwide declaration of a state of calamity.
Aquino said government still has P8 billion in calamity funds carry over from 2010, on top of existing funds this year. "We can do it," he said.
Besides, he said the low pressure area that was supposed to enter the country this week has dissipated.
However, he said the damage due to the typhoons in the Cordillera Administrative Region has not been assessed because of problems on accessibility.
The NDRRMC death toll from Pedring as of yesterday was 66, and 10 from Quiel.
Agriculture Undersecretary Antonio Fleta said the National Food Authority will buy storm-damaged palay and implement a credit program in the damaged areas for replanting.
Fleta also encouraged fertilizer companies to implement a "plant now, pay later" scheme to help farmers. He added that the country still has a buffer stock left even if the floods damaged fields that are ready for harvesting.
Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said the flooded areas need clean water at the rate of 15-20 liters per person and enough sanitary toilets. He said the ideal toilet-evacuee ratio should be 1:20, but in many areas, it is 1:50 or even 1:150.
Tayag said garbage boats should be deployed to regularly collect garbage in flooded towns so that people will not dump wastes in the flood waters.
He expressed fears that the problems caused by the prolonged flooding and overcrowding would result in outbreaks of cholera, leptospirosis, typhoid fever, dysentery, dengue and even swine flu or H1N1.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said 411,845 families or 1.938 million persons were affected by the two typhoons in Central Luzon.
President Aquino ordered national government and Central Luzon officials to rush completion of the Pampanga Delta project, which would mitigate flooding in the region.
Aquino told them to review the damage wrought by the typhoons, understand how it happened, and introduce corrective engineering measures. He said the science department has deployed flood sensors and will soon deploy landslide sensors.
He said the public works department is reviewing the damaged infrastructure and will fix them as the flood waters subside. He said dredging of silted rivers will be a priority.
In Pampanga, Aquino pledged government's full support by augmenting the calamity fund of the province. He also ordered the release of P20 million for the dredging of the heavily silted Balimbing creek which is contributing to the flooding.
In Bulacan, Aquino boarded a six-by-six military truck to inspect the flooded section of the road near the Calumpit municipal hall. He shook hands with vendors selling their wares on the roadside under the heat of the cloudless sky because the public market is flooded up to the knees, and even up to the waist in some parts.
Vinia Capugay, 45, said very few people buy her pork and chicken because they prefer canned goods that are easier to cook.
A few meters away, boatmen beckoned passengers and promised dry passage across 300 meters of flooded road at P20 per person. A "kuliglig" offers the same service at P10.
The President also visited the chapel of the United Pulp and Paper Corp. in Calumpit, which is giving refuge to 65 persons, including 53 kids, and five pregnant women.
Aquino checked on Justine Layug, who was born on Sept. 29 at the Bulacan provincial hospital but could not go home because of the flood. Layug slept on a mattress laid on church pews that were placed side by side.
Aquino stayed a few seconds, telling Layug's mother, "Baka mabulabog ang baby."
The Philippine Medical Association is sending by boat physicians and psycho-social counselors to flooded areas in Central Luzon. – With Victor Reyes and Gerard Naval
Disease outbreak feared in flood-hit areas By Dino Balabo The Philippine Star Updated October 05, 2011 04:34 PM 7 comments to this post
[PHOTO - Trash and debris litter the damaged seawall along Roxas Boulevard. The government is eyeing a double-layered Manila Bay seawall to protect against waves during storms. EDD GUMBAN]
MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) warned of a possible outbreak of leptospirosis and AH1N1 flu in flood-hit areas in Bulacan and Pampanga provinces.
The DOH also called for sanitation in the areas and provision of "garbage boats" that will collect wastes dumped in floodwaters.
"We are monitoring possible outbreak of leptospirosis in Bulacan and Pampanga because our experience after typhoon Ondoy showed high incidence of the diseases," said Eric Tayag, chief of the DOH Epidemiology Center.
He said that about 25 to 50 percent of recorded deaths after the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy in 2009 were due to leptospirosis infection.
Tayag advised residents in flood-hit areas to avoid walking on floodwater if they have an open wound.
With regards to other diseases, he said majority of cases they have treated were cough and flu. They are also closely monitoring acute water diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery and dengue.
In crowded evacuation centers, he said they are also monitoring the possible outbreak of AH1N1 flu.
Tayag also advised local officials to provide portable toilets to evacuation centers to ensure sanitation and hygiene.
With regards to the dangers of floating garbage, Tayag advised local government units to come up with garbage boats that will collect and deliver solid wastes to a staging area or a sanitary landfill.
The same was echoed by lawyer Teddy de Belen, head of the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office (Benro), who said that in just a week, a town of 100,000 people can produce a total of 350,000 kilos of garbage.
He said the volume will increase with the distribution of hundreds of thousands of bottled mineral water to flood-hit towns of Hagonoy and Paombong.
"Those garbage will eventually end up in the coastal areas; we will conduct a coastal clean up but the question is where we will bring collected garbage," De Belen said.
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