Odette hits Batanes hard

MANILA, Philippines - Super Typhoon Odette (international name Usagi), the most powerful storm of the year, has isolated the island province of Batanes, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported yesterday.

As of noon yesterday, the NDRRMC operations center has lost contact with provincial disaster officials of Batanes, following an initial report that the province’s island towns, including Basco, have been hit hard by Odette.

Odette was expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility last night.

Power supply in Batanes has been cut off since Friday, even before Odette could make landfall in Itbayat yesterday morning.

The typhoon battered Batanes with gusts of up to 250 kilometers per hour, affecting communication lines and damaging crops, officials earlier said.

“The winds are very strong. I cannot even go out now,” Batanes Gov. Vicente Gato told dzBB radio in Manila.

“Many trees have been uprooted and we have no electricity,” he said.

The NDRRMC also said heavy rains spawned by Odette have resulted in landslides and flashfloods in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos region, Southern Tagalog, and the Visayas.

In Ilocos Norte, four towns were flooded yesterday due to Odette. The flooded villages were in the towns of Banna, Dingras, Marcos and Solsona.

Odette weakens

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Odette weakened while on its way out of the country.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA said public storm warning signal no. 2 remained hoisted over the Batanes group of islands and the Calayan and Babuyan groups of islands.

Signal no. 1 was raised over Cagayan, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Mt. Province.

PAGASA said as of 4 p.m. the eye of Odette was at 160 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes.

It packed maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center with gustiness of up to 210 kph.

It was moving at 19 kph toward Hong Kong.

PAGASA said the southwest monsoon was also affecting Central and Southern Luzon and the Visayas.

Fatalities identified

Authorities yesterday identified the fatalities from the passenger boat which capsized off Dingalan, Aurora last Friday due to strong winds triggered by Odette.

The casualties were Alejandro Abalos, 50, and April Kim Manuel, 20. The boat’s two missing passengers were identified as Elenita Abalos, 52, and Suzette Abalos, 28.

Passenger boat MV Mighty Rosie 1, loaded with copra, carnival equipment and flea market merchandise, left Palanan town for Aurora on Thursday morning.

Malacañang monitoring situation

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over radio dzRB that Malacañang was monitoring the situation in areas affected by Odette.

This, even if they still cannot disclose when President Aquino would be back in Manila.

Aquino flew to Zamboanga City more than a week ago and decided to stay there to lead the government operations against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels who have placed the area under siege for almost two weeks.

Valte said the different departments and agencies have prepared enough emergency relief assistance for communities affected by the weather disturbance.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned P113.58 million worth of emergency relief resources, including standby funds, 36,410 family food packs, and other relief items for Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordilleras, according to Valte.

Valte said the government allocated huge amount of emergency relief resources in those regions in case they would need relief augmentation.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government is also helping other government agencies disseminate information to local government units, Valte said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways in Regions 1, 2 and 4-B, she said, activated their operation centers and designated officers for 24-hour duty. The Department of Health also has a stockpile of basic medicine.

The Philippine Information Agency in Region 1 is also helping in informing the public about the latest weather advisories through its news text blasts, Valte said.

Another cyclone

Weather forecaster Jun Galang said they are closely monitoring the movement of another tropical cyclone with international name Pabok which is still in the Pacific Ocean.

“Right now, there is a small chance that it would enter the Philippines but if it does, it will be called Paolo,” Galang said.– With Evelyn Macairan, Aurea Calica, Charlie Lagasca, Raymund Catindig, Teddy Molina, AP