Typhoon Goni, which hit the Philippines on Sunday has many have caused a damage to 90% of the buildings in the first town it slammed, according to Red Cross. Philippines Red Cross Chairman Dick Gordon said a survey suggested that Virac – home to 70,000 people – had incurred sever damages.
At least 16 people lost their life on Catanduanes Island after the landfall on Sunday because of storm. The super typhoon has now been scaled down to a tropical storm. Civil Defense assessment suggests 370,000 people would be displaced by the storm and tens of thousands of homes may dash to ground while only sparring the Capital Manila.
Goni, recognized as Rolly in Philippines, is the most destructive storm to hit the shores of the country since Typhoon Haiyan killed over 6,000 people in 2013.
Damage caused by Goni
Virac was the frontline urban population hit by the storm. There is a power outage in the area since Sunday, and as a result, the Communication lines have been down, making it difficult to get information out of the area. Red Cross, though, confirmed that teams on the ground have made visual assessment suggesting 80-90% of the buildings in the municipality were wrecked or affected by the storm.
Red Cross Chairman Dick Gordon said the current damage equalizes “70% of Typhoon Haiyan’s damage”. At least 6 people are reported dead across the island province of Catanduanes. He added that there is no access to electricity, water and cellular network in the area. However, the damage to the airport and seaports in the Catanduanes is little.
Filipinos on social media have been tweeting the hashtag #NassanAngCatanduanes meaning “Where is Catanduanes”, as they call on local media to update them. Two people including a 5-year-old have reportedly killed in Albay province. Representative Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol party from Guinobatan municipality of Albay province talking to Reuters said over 300 houses were buried under volcanic debris.
AKB added that several people were believed to be buried alive. The entire Bicol region is out of power at present. In Quezon, 10 towns have lost power supplies after the typhoon uprooted the trees.
How is Philippines bracing?
The Philippines – not knew when it comes to havoc-wreaking storms and Typhoons – is hit by an average 20 storms and typhoons per year and lost 22 people when Typhoon Molave charged the region last week. However, this year preparations have been tumbled by the coronavirus pandemic which has already resulted in 380,789 cases while recording 7221 deaths in the Philippines. Some 347,000 people were rescued, said civil defense chief Ricardo Jalad – backing down form the 1 million claim he made earlier ahead of the super typhoon. COVDI19 patients isolated in tents have also been moved. Ports and airport were closed while schools, government-owned evacuation centers and gyms have been used as Corona-proof emergency shelters.
“Evacuating people is more difficult at this time because of Covid-19,” Bicol regional civil defense spokesman Alexis Naz told AFP on Saturday.
