Wind-blown mango tree branches nearly block the gate of the Porta Coali Convent (top photo) along Visayas Ave., Quezon City on Wednesday (July 16, 2014). Lower photos show Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) employees loading on a pick-up truck mahogany tree branches (left) and residents of Aurora Blvd. near the Chinese Medical Center cleaning up a portion of Blumentritt St., Sta. Cruz, Manila. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – At least 38 people were killed in the wake of Typhoon Glenda (international name Rammasun) which heavily battered Luzon on Wednesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.
NDRRMC chief Usec. Alexander Pama said as of Thursday morning, the death toll from the typhoon was at 38. Eight people are still missing while 10 others were wounded.
Pama said 22 of the 38 fatalities were from the heavily hit Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon); five from Region 4B (MIMAROPA); four from Bicol Region; three from Region 3 (Central Luzon); and two each from Metro Manila and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas).
Pama said at least 192,131 families or 1,006,360 individuals were affected by the typhoon. At least 1,219 evacuation centers are catering to the affected population.
The strong winds and rains brought by Glenda also damaged 19,257 houses, and totally destroyed 7,002 more.
Meanwhile, P45 million worth of infrastructures were damaged. The Bicol region reported P668,233,477 worth of losses in the agriculture sector.
As of Thursday morning, 15 roads and 4 bridges in Regions 3, 4A, 4B, 5, and 8 remain impassable.
New cyclone looms
State weather bureau PAGASA said Glenda was spotted 380 kilometers west southwest of Dagupan City as of 4 a.m. and is now headed for China.
Glenda was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kph and gusts of up to 160 kph.
All public storm warning signals have been lowered, but fishing boats and other small vessels are still advised not to venture out into the western seaboard of Visayas.
PAGASA also warned that the country could face yet another weather disturbance.
PAGASA said a new low pressure area (LPA) was spotted 940 kilometers east of northern Mindanao as of 4 a.m.
PAGASA weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said the LPA has a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. She said the LPA will enter the Philippine area of responsibility in 24 hours.
The LPA will be locally code-named “Henry” once it intensifies into a cyclone within the PAR.
Escullar said the state weather bureau has no data yet on the possible track of the typhoon, but the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said the LPA was moving westward at 2 knots (3.7 kph).
The JTWC said the LPA was approximately 205 nautical miles (379.66 kilometers) northeast of Koror, Palau.
“The potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours is high,” the JTWC said.(MNS)