Motherearth: Typhoon KIKO

'Kiko' leaves 9 dead; 15K residents affected in Luzon

JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE, GMANews.TV08/07/2009 08:49 AM

(Updated: 2:47 p.m.) Nine people, including three foreign trekkers and three children, were killed in a flash flood and landslide unleashed by Typhoon "Kiko" (Morakot) in the northern Philippines on Friday, officials said. Six of the fatalities were swept away by a flash flood in the town of Capas in Tarlac province. The three children were buried in a landslide in Baguio City.
Where's 'Kiko'?
After dumping rains that caused floods and landslides in parts of northern Philippines, typhoon "Kiko" (Morakot) now threatens Taiwan as it continued to head west northwest, state weather forecasters said Friday morning.
Read more hereFloods also displaced at least 15,000 residents in eight villages in Botolan town of Zambales province.Tarlac, Zambales and Baguio City were among the areas in Luzon that were heavily affected by rains spawned by Typhoon "Kiko" late Thursday and early Friday, even as it moved away from Luzon.At 4 a.m. Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) tracked Kiko at 340 kilometers north-northeast of Basco, Batanes.It was moving west-northwest toward Taiwan and southern China with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near center and gustiness of up to 185 kph. Officials said the fatalities in the Tarlac flash flood included three foreigners and their Filipino tour guide, identified as Fernando Ordonio, and two local residents of Capas town on the northeastern foot of Mount Pinatubo. There was apparent confusion in the nationalities of the foreigners. Police described them as Frenchmen, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said they were Canadians, and radio and television reports called them French-Canadians. A GMA News’ Flash Report said the bodies of the four victims were found early Friday near the O’ Donnell River in Capas, along the trail to Pinatubo. Flash reporter Chino Gaston quoted Capas mayor Reynaldo Catacutan as saying the four, together with nine other foreigners, including three Koreans, visited the Pinatubo crater lake amid fair weather early Thursday. Later in the day, the group guided by Ordonio encountered heavy downpour as they were traveling down the trail on board a 4x4 truck. Their driver, apparently sensing danger, ordered everyone to get off the vehicle. "Then a huge chunk of the mountain collapsed and they were met by a surge of water," Catacutan said in Filipino. In a separate report, the NDCC said the truck overturned after it was swept by rampaging floodwaters. The group that included the Korean were reported unharmed. Chief Superintendent Leo Nilo dela Cruz, regional police director for Central Luzon, told GMANews.TV that he has ordered an investigation as to how the tourists were permitted to go to Pinatubo despite rainy weather in the past days. "Pinaiimbestigahan ko kung bakit in-allow na umakyat pa (I ordered an investigation to find out why they were allowed to proceed despite rainy weather)," he said. Two Filipino village watchmen were also killed in the flashflood, the Tarlac provincial police said.Senior Superintendent Rudy Lacadin, the provincial police chief, identified one of the local residents as Fidel Reyla, a village watchman of Sta. Juliana village in Capas. Baguio landslideFarther up north in Baguio City, the NDCC said three people were killed after they were buried in a landslide at Camp 8 along Kennon Road.The NDCC identified the victims as Cris Tiska, Mikhail Teska and Edu Tiska. But a text message from SPO4 Virgilio Hidalgo of the Baguio City Police named the victims siblings Edu Pisca, 13; Michael Pisca, 12; and Cris Pisca, 6.The three victims were dug up from the debris of their house, Hidalgo added. At least two Baguio residents - Modesta and Mariano Omitan – were reported injured in the landslide. Flooding in ZambalesIn Zambales province, radio reports said a man and a woman were found dead in Botolan town due to floods, but Governor Amor Deloso said they were still verifying the information."Di pa masyadong kumpirmado, ang rescue operations sa kabilang panig may dalawang casualty, mag-asawa pa, napakalungkot (We are still confirming this, that rescue workers found a couple already lifeless. It is very sad)," Deloso said in an interview on dzXL radio. He said the flooding affected eight villages. “About 15,000 ang taong involved (This affected about 15,000 people)," he said. Deloso said he has declared a state of calamity in the province, adding that it was the first time the dike broke in the last 17 years.He said the dike was doomed to collapse under the heavy rain brought by typhoon “Kiko" since the structure was made only from mountain soil and daraga. "It's not cemented yet," said Deloso in Filipino over a separate Unang Balita interview. "The sandbags can no longer hold the water. Our bulldozers can't enter the area near the dike as well. The current is so strong," he added.In a phone interview, Deloso told GMANews.TV that around 1,800 residents or roughly 300 families, including some indigenous Aetas, have already been evacuated from Botolan, the town hardest hit by the typhoon. About 100 other families remain stranded in their flooded houses, he said. Some residents, he said, were seen clinging onto trees, awaiting rescue and for the floodwaters to subside. "They still can't go down since the current is still very strong, although not as strong as last night," he said. Deloso said diver teams from the Philippine Coast Guard and elements from the Philippine Army have already been mobilized to rescue the stranded residents. A suspension of all classes in the entire province has since been ordered. As of noontime Friday., the NDCC said rescue and evacuation efforts are ongoing in at least 10 villages in Botolan affected by the flash floods. An earlier report by NDCC said the typhoon affected the villages of Carael, Paudpod, San Juan, Paco, San Miguel, Tampo, and Baton Lapoc in Botolan town.Damaged roadsIn Capas, Sta. Lucia village was three feet underwater after the Sta. Lucia Bridge overflowed due to the overflowing of the O'Donnell and Sta. Juliana Rivers.The NDCC said floodwaters had already subsided in Meycauayan, Bulacan. In Nueva Ecija, the Maharlika Carangalan Road was three feet underwater and not passable to all vehicles. The Poblacion Rizal and Ganduz, Pantabangan Bridges were not passable to light vehicles. In Cabanatuan City, 250 families were affected in Bliss village in Sta. Arcadia. In Zambales, the Olongapo-Bugallon Road Carael section was not passable due to a collapsed box culvert caused by the breaching of the dike. The Zambales-Tarlac Road was underwater one meter and is not passable to all vehicles. In Aurora, the Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road was underwater and not passable to all vehicles. In Pampanga, the San Fernando-Lubao Road is 0.3 meter deep underwater and is not passable to light vehicles. In Metro Manila, the road along Pulo, Paasan, Basig and Mabolo villages were flooded and are not passable to light vehicles. Meanwhile, in Cordillera, classes in all levels were suspended, while Kennon Road is closed due to a landslide at Camp 5. - with Andreo Calonzo, GMANews.TV