3 killed as storm ‘Caloy’ wreaks havoc in Visayas

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte — Tropical storm "Caloy" left three people dead and triggered landslides that isolated villages in the province, officials said.

The storm also forced the Coast Guard to stop ferry services in Matnog and Bulan towns in Sorsogon, stranding more than 5,600 passengers, 18 sea vessels, and 230 buses, trucks and cars, according to initial reports given by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Bicol Region.

An electric line severed by a swaying coconut tree in Manapla town in Negros Occidental electrocuted Armi Berjamin as she fed pigs near her home. Her husband, still unidentified, also died when he tried to aid her, initial reports said.

A fisherman identified as Cristituto Bravat drowned after their boat capsized due to strong winds off the coast of Estancia town in Iloilo province. Four of his companions were rescued later.

In Capiz, a powerful tornado destroyed 64 houses.

An empty ferry, M/V Northern Samar, sank after big waves buffeted the vessel as it was being towed to a shelter in Tabaco City in Albay. No one was reported hurt.

Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Lerias said that at least 1,132 families have been ordered to evacuate to higher grounds.

Landslides had blocked access to several villages in Sogod town, particularly Olisihan, Pancho Villa and Kahupian due to landslides in Olisihan; and Magatas, Milagroso and Benit due to landslides in Magatas.

Barangays San Juan, Kanangkaan, San Vicente were isolated due to the swelling of Subang Daku River which water level rose 2.5 meters from its normal level.

The Olisihan landslides blocked the Maharlika Highway linking Luzon and Mindanao, officials said.

Provincial emergency rescue teams also reported mudslides and fallen coconut trees blocking the roads from the villages.

Lerias said the Subang Daku River had swollen, threatening at least six other villages. She appealed over the radio for residents living on the riverside to evacuate.

Lerias estimated about 6,000 people had been affected by landslides and floods in the villages.

Another 40 families in the town of Macrohon were also evacuated after heavy flooding, she said.

"It has been raining really hard, and we had about 130 millimeters (five inches) of rainfall yesterday alone," Lerias said, adding that normal rainfall according to forecasters should be about 550 millimeters per week.

The storm came almost three months after torrential rains caused the collapse of a mountainside that engulfed the village of Guinsaugon in Saint Bernard town, leaving more than 1,000 people buried alive under a massive mudslide.

"We are working very closely with the national government in Manila and we have all the supplies we need," she said.

Lerias pointed out the landslides occurred in an area close to where the Guinsaugon tragedy took place.

"It was very close to Agas Agas where the landslide of Feb. 12 took place," she said. "There were no houses in the area of the landslide."

Lerias added parts of Leyte as well as the entire province of Albay in the Bicol region were also experiencing power outages since some electric posts were toppled by strong storm winds.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather bureau reported that "Caloy" (international code name Chanchu) was moving northwestward toward Samar at 19 kilometers per hour, packing winds of 110 kph and gusts of up to 140 kph.

The storm, the first to hit the Philippines this year, left 4,500 people stranded in key ports in central Visayas, Sorsogon and eastern Bicol regions after the Coast Guard suspended ferry operations.

More than 2,000 passengers in 134 vehicles were also left stranded by the storm in Allen, Northern Samar.

Storm warnings were raised in some 23 provinces and islands, including Manila, where rain has fallen since Thursday.

The storm however slightly weakened as it made landfall overnight, and its eye as of 11 a.m. yesterday was estimated at 90 kilometers south of Camarines Sur.

Caloy was expected to pass over Marinduque later in the day, before heading northward to Luzon, then finally moving out to sea on Monday.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines said it canceled four domestic flights to the Visayas and Bicol, but the announcement came late and many passengers were stuck in the airport.

A total of 45 incoming and outgoing international and domestic flights were canceled at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In the Bicol Region, Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal said some 200 families were also evacuated in the area after flashfloods hit, downing power lines.

"But we have enough supplies and hopefully the weather will improve soon," Rosal said.

Provincial Disaster Management Officer Cedric Daep said 371 families or 1,400 people were evacuated from coastal barangays and low-lying areas in Legazpi City at the height of the storm warning early morning yesterday.

Except for Pili town, the whole of Albay, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Catanduanes were left without electricity, officials said.

"We have started the preemptive evacuation of coastal areas. We are worried that strong winds will wash away their houses when the storm surges," said OCD Bicol director Arnel Capili.

The Department of Agriculture added there was no immediate reports of crop damages in the affected areas. — With Ronilo Pamonag, Miriam Desacada, Sheila Crisostomo, Cet Dematera, Jaime Laude, Rainier Allan Ronda, AP, AFP