PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday inspected from the air the massive devastation caused by Supertyphoon “Karding” (international name: Noru) across Luzon, firing off directives to ensure a return to normalcy for thousands it affected. At the same time, however, he was pleased by reports of minimal casualties, something attributed to the timely preemptive evacuation by local government units.
Over the weekend, around 75,000 people in Luzon were evacuated, and power and communication lines in some provinces were disrupted. As of 3 p.m. Monday, however affected customers of Manila Electric Company were down to 32,816.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines also NGCP restored the vital Concepcion-Camiling 69kV Line.
Farm damage
Initial damage to farms was placed at P114 million, a number sure to climb given the massive devastation on farms that were ready for harvest.
“Karding,” which packed winds of 120 miles per hour at its peak, left communities in Luzon inundated, prompting the government to deploy rescue and relief operations.
President Marcos flew over the typhoon-hit provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac, and saw inundated towns and farmlands.
He said affected areas, particularly those in Polillo Island of Quezon—placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 last Sunday—will get immediate relief from the government.
“Well, we are—presently what we are organizing is the airlift for food materials, food packs, water into Polillo because they said it was the first area to be hit [by Super-typhoon Karding],” Marcos said.
Minimal casualties
During the situation briefing of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for Marcos, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said 19,368 families, equivalent to 74,542 individuals, were evacuated by concerned LGUs. This helped minimize the casualties.
“So that explains, Mr. President, where there were almost no fatalities now. There were preparations on the ground,” Interior Secretary Benjamin D. Abalos Jr. said. In its initial report on Monday morning, the Department of Health (DOH) said there were still no reported casualties from “Karding.”
However, the NDRRMC later said it is verifying the reported deaths of five rescuers in San Miguel, Bulacan due to a flash flood during the weekend. The victims were on their way to respond to a flood-hit barangay when they drowned.
In all, at least eight people were reported killed in the provinces of Bulacan, Zambales and Quezon, although the NDRRMC said the deaths were still undergoing official validation.
Karding barreled through Luzon on Sunday, dumping incessant rains in Metro Manila and Southern and Central Luzon.
Quezon Governor Helen Tan said Karding battered Polillo Islands, which included the island municipalities of Patnanungan, Burdeos, Panukulan and Jomalig. Burdeos Mayor Fredie Aman said in a radio interview that 90 percent of the houses in three villages of his municipality were damaged.
Marcos himself noted the preparations made by the government mitigated Karding’s impact.
“It’s clear from what we did these last two days is that very, very important is preparation,” he said.
After the briefing, Marcos, joined by NDRRMC Chairman Defense Officer in Charge Jose Faustino Jr., made an aerial inspection of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.
The Philippine National Police said its personnel in Polillio assisted in the preparation against Karding and during the evacuation.
“Our personnel are in constant coordination with the LGU and all other government agencies in assisting the need of transferring the residents to a safer place,” PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said.
The Philippine Air Force spokesman Ma. Consuelo Castillo said S-70i Black Hawk helicopters carried out rapid damage assessment and needs analysis in affected areas.
Evacuees’ aid
Most or 33,043 of the evacuees were from the National Capital Region (NCR), followed by Central Luzon (25,358) and Calabarzon (13,882).
The rest were from the regions of Ilocos (821), Cagayan Valley (390), Mimaropa (272), and Bicol (8).
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said all the typhoon victims, particularly those in evacuation centers, will receive food packs.
“As early as last night[September 25] Mr. President, we were already distributing food [to typhoon victims], including those stranded at the pier in the Batangas port and in Sorsogon,” Social Welfare Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo said.
DSWD said it has P1.17 billion in standby and quick response funds.
Utilities
Meanwhile, Marcos said he also wants the power and communications to be operational in typhoon-hit communities to facilitate relief operations.
Only Ilocos Norte and Quezon suffered downed communication lines due to “Karding,” according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
“But insofar as the major areas where the landfall of the typhoon hit, all communications are intact and we’re able to communicate through both radio as well as even the telcos that are Smart, Globe, PLDT. They’re all working,” Information Secretary Ivan E. Uy said.
He said they will deploy satellite-based very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) trucks in areas where communication lines are poor.
For its part, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported power disruptions in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija.
Energy Secretary Raphael M. Lotilla said “Karding” also partly affected power supply in Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga and Quezon.
The NDRRMC will deploy power generators there.
Government readiness
Marcos said the preparedness of concerned government agencies and LGUs helped mitigate the impact of “Karding.”
Early forecasting from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) helped in the preemptive evacuation of high-risk communities, he added.
Also helpful was the prepositioning of relief packs in areas hit by “Karding.”
“You might think that we overdid it. There’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to disaster,” Marcos said.
Such close coordination between the national and local government, Marcos said, will be more crucial in responding to typhoons which undergo rapid intensification brought about by climate change.
“We went from Signal No. 2 to Signal No. 5 in a period of like three to four hours. Will this be the trend due to climate change?,” Marcos said.
“We have been monitoring typhoons for a long time, and it was not like that before. Oh well, that’s something that we’ll have to deal with,” he added.
With reports from Lenie Lectura
Image credits: Roy Domingo