11 dead as 'Feria' exits RP

MANILA, Philippines – Storm “Feria” (international name Nangka) exited the country yesterday, leaving 11 people dead and five others injured.

With this development, the number of casualties in the storm climbed to 22, with six persons still missing in the Visayas and Luzon, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

NDCC chair and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said P132.6 million in private and government infrastructures and agricultural crops were also destroyed by Feria in Southern Tagalog, Bicol, and Western and Eastern Visayas.

All local ports in the storm-ravaged regions have already resumed operations since Thursday after the weather and sea conditions improved.

Of the 11 fatalities, four were in Quezon, two in Bantayan, Cebu, two in Cagayan de Oro, two in Aklan, and one in San Jose, Batangas, Teodoro said.

Search and recovery operations were underway for five missing persons – one who was swept away by heavy flooding in Romblon, one in Aklan who was swallowed by big waves while swimming with friends in an Aklan beach, and three who went fishing in Eastern Samar.

The six injured were hit by falling trees and were undergoing treatment in Southern Leyte, Cebu in Visayas, Quezon, and Batangas, the NDCC reported.

It said 758 houses were also destroyed by a twister at the height of the storm in Quezon, Cavite, Batangas, Romblon, Masbate, Antique, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, and Leyte.

A total of 13,273 families or 63,021 persons from 209 barangays, including Metro Manila, were likewise displaced by Feria, Teodoro said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health and local government units have already disbursed P769,437 worth of relief assistance for affected families.

Storm signals lowered

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) lowered yesterday storm signals in all areas of the country as Feria moved farther away from the country.
In its final weather bulletin, Pagasa said Feria was spotted at 360 kilometers west of Dagupan City, packing winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.
Forecast to move north-northwest at 19 kph, Feria is predicted to be 365 km west of Taiwan this morning.
Feria was the sixth tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the first this month.
Meanwhile, Pagasa said rains are still likely over parts of central and northern Luzon this weekend.
“Western sections of central and northern Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms,” it said.
Pagasa said moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest and southeast would prevail over northern Luzon and the coastal waters along these areas would be moderate to rough.
It said the surge of the southwest monsoon is expected to affect the northern and western seaboards of northern Luzon.
“Fishing boats and other small sea craft are advised not to venture out to sea while larger sea craft are alerted against big waves,” it said.

Hardest hit

The DSWD has earmarked P11-million worth of relief goods for the victims of Feria.
DSWD Undersecretary Alicia Bala said the agency also readied P2 million in standby funds to be released to affected local government units when necessary.
“The Quick Response and Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) teams of the DSWD in these regions are closely monitoring the situation,” Bala said.
Meantime, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said that the province of Masbate bore the brunt of Feria, which crossed the island province from Eastern Samar on its way to the Batangas-Mindoro area on Wednesday afternoon.

Raffy Alejandro, OCD regional director, said that based on a report of Masbate Gov. Olga Kho, some 23 barangays with 1,832 families were affected by Feria. — With Helen Flores, Celso Amo