Dodental tropische storm Washi op Filipijnen bijna 1500

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Hundreds die as tropical storm Washi sweeps across Philippines

At least 200 people have died and hundreds more gone missing after the tropical storm Washi swept across the southern Philippines.

At least 200 people have died and hundreds more gone missing after a tropical storm Washi swept across the southern Philippines

Officials said 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue and relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao. The major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit, and an estimated 100,000 people had to flee their homes.
Lawrence Cruz, mayor of Iligan, said: "It's the worst flood in the history of our city. It happened so fast, at a time when people were asleep."
Television pictures showed dramatic pictures of a family escaping out of the window of their home in the town as the flood waters rose, and rescue workers in orange vests shepherding survivors to safety. Water levels rose three feet in less than an hour, forcing thousands on to their rooftops to try to escape.
Marlyn Manos, an Iligan resident, recounted how she and her children watched in terror from their rooftop as flash floods washed away neighbours' homes.
"All the small houses behind ours were destroyed, and many of my neighbours are missing," she said.

The region's military spokesmen said 97 bodies were recovered in Cagayan de Oro, with another 75 bodies found in Iligan.
In Iligan another 250 people remained unaccounted for, they said, with 125 people missing in Cagayan de Oro, a city of half a million people.
Three people also drowned in the town of Polanco and five were killed in a landslide in mountains near the town of Monkayo, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in Manila.
Benito Ramos, the council's executive director, suggested some residents had underestimated the threat posed by the approaching storm, in a region which is outside the country's typhoon belt.
"Storms rarely hit this area and people probably became complacent even though they knew it was heading their way," Mr Ramos said.
Eric Carillo, an Iligan resident, said heavy rain started late on Friday but his family, who emerged alive from the floods, were not unduly alarmed and did not seek higher ground.
"I've been around for 47 years and this was the worst flooding I have ever experienced," he added.
Iligan tourism officer Pat Noel said waters began rising shortly before midnight as people slept, flooding into houses made of light materials along the riverbanks.
"Many of them told me they sought refuge on their rooftops," he said after joining the first wave of rescuers at daybreak.
Two of the three rivers that flow into the port of Iligan had overflowed, he added. A popular radio commentator was among those who died.
Weather forecasters said the eye of the storm passed close to the southern tip of the central island of Negros on Saturday morning. Winds reached speeds as high as 55 miles per hour.
It was expected to hit the western island of Palawan on Saturday night after crossing the Sulu Sea. The Philippines is struck by about 20 major storms annually, with most hitting Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Southeast Asian archipelago.
Two typhoons, Nesat and Nalgae, hit the country within days of each other from late September, leaving more than 100 people dead, while tropical storm Banyan killed another eight people in October.

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Philippines storm death toll rises

ILIGAN, Philippines: Tropical storm Washi whipped the southern Philippines on Saturday, unleashing mammoth floods across vast areas that left at least 440 people dead and nearly 200 missing, relief workers said.

About 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue-and-relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao, where the major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit.

Cagayan de Oro city reported 215 dead, and nearby Iligan city lost 144 residents, Philippine National Red Cross secretary-general Gwen Pang told AFP.

Iligan mayor Lawrence Cruz described rampaging floodwaters from swollen rivers that swamped up to a quarter of the land area of the city of 100,000.

"It's the worst flood in the history of our city," Cruz told GMA television. "It happened so fast, at a time when people were fast asleep."

The station showed dramatic pictures of a family escaping out of the window of their home in the town as the floods rose, and rescue workers in orange vests shepherding survivors to safety above chest-deep waters.

President Benigno Aquino expressed concern at the extent of the tragedy and ordered government agencies to map out areas in the country most vulnerable to future flash floods.

"These areas will be at risk every year... The first (step in) mitigation has to be relocation from these areas," he said in a meeting with senior civil defence officials.

Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told reporters Mindanao residents were warned about the dangers posed by the storm days earlier but elected not to move to safer areas.

He said Mindanao was rarely visited by storms, even as 20 major storms strike the Philippines annually, with most hitting Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

"We expect huge damage, especially on agriculture," Ramos said.

Marlyn Manos, an Iligan resident, recounted how she and her children watched in terror from their rooftop as the floodwaters swallowed up the neighbourhood.

"All the small houses behind ours were destroyed, and many of my neighbours are missing," she said.

Iligan tourism officer Pat Noel told AFP waters began rising shortly before midnight (1600 GMT Friday) as people slept, sweeping houses made of light materials and their inhabitants along the riverbanks.

"Many of them told me they sought refuge on their rooftops," he said after joining the first wave of rescuers at daybreak.

Two of the three rivers that flow into the port of Iligan had overflowed, he added, and a popular radio commentator was among those killed.

Other affected areas on Mindanao included Bukidnon province, where 47 people died, while nine others people were killed elsewhere on the island, Pang of the Red Cross said.

Twenty-five people meanwhile drowned on the island of Negros, the provincial civil defence office told AFP.

"What happened was beyond the expectation of the public," said the civil defence official, Minda Morante.

Pang said 162 people were still missing in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, while a Negros official said 19 people were missing there.

Britain offered its condolences Saturday for the "tragic" loss of life.

Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne said in a statement: "I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those affected. My thoughts are with them and the government of the Philippines as they lead the recovery work."

More than 4,000 people in flooded areas were moved to evacuation centres, the disaster agency in Manila said.

The western island of Palawan is expected to be hit with Washi's slightly weakened peak winds of 65 miles (46.4 miles) before dawn Sunday, the state weather service said in an updated bulletin.

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Devastation from a tropical storm that deluged the southern Philippines mounted on Sunday, with the death toll rising to 569.

Another 370 people are missing, the Philippine Red Cross said.

The stench of death permeated the air as aid workers scrambled to help survivors.

Many of the bodies were found in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, according to military officials and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Five people were killed in a landslide, but virtually all others died in flash flooding after Tropical Storm Washi, which is called Sendong locally.

The provinces of Compostela Valley and Zamboanga del Norte were also hit, said Benito Ramos, chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

More than 2,000 have been rescued, the country's military reported.

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At least 650 dead as tropical storm Washi sweeps across Philippines
At least 650 people have died and more than 800 are missing after the tropical storm Washi swept across the southern Philippines.

The major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, on the north coast of the island of Mindanao, were worst hit by the storm.
The British Government has offered its "sincere condolences" to the families and friends of the victims, many of whom are understood to be children.
Filipino communities in London have sent messages of support and offered to take part in fund-raising activities to boost the relief effort, the Philippine Red Cross said.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesman said they were not aware at this time of any British deaths or casualties.
Southern cities had 12 hours of sustained rainfall, causing landslides, rivers to burst their banks and sending walls of water crashing down mountain slopes into homes.

Philippine Red Cross general secretary Gwen Pang said today that the death toll had crept up to 652 and was expected to rise as relief teams reached isolated areas.
She told the Press Association: "It is very serious because the floods affected areas which have not experienced anything like this before.
"We have launched an appeal for support and we have received some already from our partners, including the Chinese Embassy and some corporations
Many of the dead were swept out to sea. Others were buried alive as mud cascaded down mountain slopes. Water levels rose three feet in less than an hour, forcing thousands to climb on to the roofs of their homes where they huddled against wind speeds reaching 55 miles per hour.
Lawrence Cruz, mayor of Iligan, said: “It’s the worst flood in the history of our city. It happened so fast, at a time when people were asleep.”
Officials said 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue and relief operation to assist 100,000 people who fled their homes.
Marlyn Manos, an Iligan resident, recounted how she and her children watched in terror from their rooftop as floods washed away neighbours’ homes.
“All the small houses behind ours were destroyed, and many of my neighbours are missing,” she said.
Benito Ramos, the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Manila, said some residents had been unprepared.
“Storms rarely hit this area and people probably became complacent even though they knew it was heading their way,” he said.
Eric Carillo, an Iligan resident, said heavy rain had started late on Friday but his family, who emerged alive from the floods, were not unduly alarmed and did not seek higher ground.
“I’ve been around for 47 years and this was the worst flooding I have ever experienced,” he added.

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Op zondag 18 december 2011 15:17 schreef Frutsel het volgende:
Damn... dit zag ik niet aankomen. Normaliter zie je dit soort beelden bij een cat 3, 4 of 5 orkaan in die regio maar niet bij een tropische storm is de storm überhaupt op orkaankracht geweest?

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ILIGAN, Philippines: More than 900 people are feared dead in the aftermath of tropical storm Washi that ripped through the southern Philippines, unleashing flash floods and landslides across vast areas of the country.
The Red Cross said yesterday that 521 people had died and at least 400 were missing after the storm destroyed entire neighbourhoods. About 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue and relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao, where the main ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit.
Cagayan de Oro city and nearby Iligan lost 434 residents, the secretary general of the Philippine National Red Cross, Gwendolyn Pang, said.

Iligan's mayor, Lawrence Cruz, described the floods that swamped up to a quarter of the city of 100,000 as ''the worst in the history of our city''.
''It happened so fast, at a time when people were fast asleep,'' he told GMA television.
The station showed dramatic pictures of a family escaping through the window of their home as the waters rose, and rescue workers in orange vests shepherding survivors to safety above chest-deep waters.

President Benigno Aquino expressed concern at the extent of the tragedy and ordered government agencies to map out areas in the country most vulnerable to future flash floods. ''These areas will be at risk every year … The first [step in] mitigation has to be relocation from these areas,'' he said in a meeting with senior civil defence officials.
The head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Benito Ramos, said Mindanao residents were warned about the dangers posed by the storm days earlier but elected not to move to safer areas.
He said Mindanao was rarely in the line of storms, even though 20 serious storms hit the Philippines annually - mostly around Luzon in the north, the largest and most populous island in the archipelago.
''We expect huge damage, especially on agriculture,'' Mr Ramos said. A resident of Iligan, Marlyn Manos, recounted how she and her children watched in terror from their rooftop as the floodwaters swallowed up the whole suburb. ''All the small houses behind ours were destroyed, and many of my neighbours are missing,'' she said.
Iligan tourism officer Pat Noel said the waters began rising shortly before midnight on Friday as people slept, sweeping houses made of light materials and their inhabitants along the riverbanks. ''Many of them told me they sought refuge on their rooftops,'' he said after joining the first wave of rescuers at daybreak.
He said two of the three rivers that flow into the port of Iligan had overflowed, and a popular radio commentator was among those killed.
Other affected areas in Mindanao included Bukidnon province, where 47 people died, while nine others were killed elsewhere on the island, Ms Pang said. In addition 25 people drowned on the island of Negros, north of Mindanao, the provincial civil defence office said.

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MANILA, Philippines - The "Sendong" disaster is believed to have been caused by a combination of poor warnings, deforestation, and weak construction in southern Philippine areas hit by the storm.

This was the assessment made by a joint US-Japanese scientific project that also measured the amount of rainfall dumped by the tropical storm in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), a joint project between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said Sendong dumped as much as more than 400 millimeters of rainwater over Mindanao's northwest coast.

"It was here in places like Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City that the most devastating mudslides occurred," the TRRM report said.

It added that "most of the heavy rain was reported to have fallen over the mountains before flowing down in raging rivers."

In comparison to Sendong, storm Ondoy dumped around 459mm of rainfall in Metro Manila when it hit the metropolis in 2009, according to measurements taken by state weather bureau PAGASA.

PAGASA gets flak

PAGASA has received flak for its alleged failure to give proper warnings to communities in Sendong's track, including an allegation made by weather bloggers that the weather bureau announced to the public that a storm was headed in less than 24 hours before its forecast landfall.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's (NDRRMC) first public advisory on Sendong, which was issued 11 a.m. December 15, also showed a PAGASA tracking map stating that the storm won't hit Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.

The next NDRRMC severe weather bulletin issued 5.pm. of the same day showed a revised PAGASA tracking map, with the 2 cities on the storm's path.

PAGASA also raised storm warnings the same afternoon.

The storm made landfall mid-afternoon the following day, then struck Malaybalay before devastating Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the middle of the night.

The resulting flashflood has killed 976 people, as of latest NDRRMC count on Wednesday morning. Dozens remain missing, while damage to properties is approaching P 1 billion.

Storm warnings

The Palace and the NDRRMC have cleared PAGASA of any fault, saying the agency gave warnings even days before the storm struck.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III showed abs-cbnNEWS.com copies of SMS advisories on the storm that PAGASA sent to Malacaņang.

"We have been getting updates since December 14 via text," he said.

One SMS, sent to the Palace 12:46 p.m. December 14 by senior PAGASA official Robert Sawi, said: "The tropical depression over the Pacific is estimated at 1,480 km E of Mindanao with maximum winds of 55 kph. It is moving west at 19 kph and is expected to enter PAR by tomorrow morning. It will start affecting Visayas and Mindanao on Friday. This may trigger floods and landslides. Please take all the necessary precautionary measures. FYI. TY."

The SMS advisories, however, did not contain information on the storm's rainfall amount.

PAGASA continued to relay to the Palace its updates on the storm.

Quezon said the same weather alerts were sent to the NDRRMC, the Philippine Information Agency, and the Radyo ng Bayan.

"As I was told in Butuan, many PIA regional offices work with Radyo ng Bayan to send alerts and do SMS alerts too," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Quezon said the Palace is preparing a comprehensive timeline on the disaster.