‘Yolanda Jr.’ levels infrastructure in Eastern Samar

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ambo has caused infrastructure and agricultural damage “worse than Super Typhoon Yolanda” in 2013 as it tore through Eastern Samar  before the weekend, Gov. Ben Evardone reported yesterday.

Evardone likened the devastation wreaked by  Ambo (international name Vongfong), which has ravaged his province since Thursday, to damage left by one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country.

“This typhoon is just like Typhoon Yolanda Jr. in terms of infrastructure damage. I even think that the damage to agriculture is worse than Yolanda,” he said.

Yolanda made landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar in November 2013 and killed over 7,000 people in its path through Eastern and Central Visayas.

Evardone noted that Ambo caused massive damage in agriculture, especially traditional crops like coconut, corn, fruits and root crops.

He added that newly harvested palay was not spared after their storage facilities were among the buildings damaged by the typhoon.

“Aside from houses, most of the infrastructure damaged byTyphoon Ambo were evacuation centers and classrooms which we converted into COVID isolation facilities,” he said.

He added that a church in the province had its entire roof blown off.

The governor said Eastern Samar is facing a “double whammy” from the typhoon as residents are also facing threats from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 200,000 people were forced yesterday into evacuation centers as Ambo dumped heavy rains and battered with strong winds Samar, Bicol, Central and Northern Luzon and Southern Tagalog while the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

The typhoon made landfall on Thursday afternoon in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar and roared ashore, damaging houses made of light materials.

Local authorities have their hands full trying to avoid overcrowding to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with thousands of evacuees arriving at evacuation centers.

The storm hit as millions of citizens were placed on lockdown at home in the past weeks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, but more than 140,000 have fled their houses before the powerful storm struck, disaster officials said.

In an initial report, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Easter Samar reported that portions of the road linking the towns of Taft, Oras and San Policarpo, in Eastern Samar province, were rendered impassable due to flooding.

The report added that a landslide occurred at Catubig, Northern Samar injuring four individuals at the height of the storm. It added that clearing operations are now being done.

“The typhoon is already gone and the sun is up, though cloudy over Samar island,” Manuel Van Torrevillas, provincial disaster officer of Western Samar, said by phone.

He added that aside from dumping heavy rains, Ambo hammered the region with very strong winds.

Typhoon Ambo weakened into a severe tropical storm yesterday after lashing the Samar provinces and Southern Luzon with violent winds and heavy rains.

Packing winds of 100 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph, Ambo was forecast to make its seventh landfall over Real or Infanta in Northern Quezon between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. yesterday.

As of 5 p.m., tropical storm signal No. 2 remained hoisted over Metro Manila, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, eastern portion of Pangasinan, including San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin, Umingan, Balungao, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Asingan, San Manuel, Binalonan, Laoac, Urdaneta, Villasis, Rosales, Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Bautista, Bayambang, Urbiztondo, Basista, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Manaoag, Mapandan, San Jacinto, San Fabian, Pozorrubio, Sison, Mangaldan, Dagupan, Calasiao, Binmaley, Lingayen, Bugallon, Aguilar, San Carlos and Mangatarem.

Signal No. 2 was also raised over Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Marinduque, northern portion of Quezon, including General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Sampaloc, Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong, San Antonio, Lucena, Pagbilao, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Plaridel, Unisan, Gumaca, Pitogo, Macallelon, General Luna, Catanauan, Lopez, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Calauag, Tagkayawan, Perez, Alabat and Quezon; Polillo Islands, western portion of Camarines Norte, including Santa Elena and Capalonga; Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Quirino and western portion of Isabela, including Quezon, Mallig, Roxas, Quirino, San Manuel, Burgos, Gamu, Reina Mercedes, Aurora, Luna Cabanatuan, Naguilian, Benito Soliven, Cauayan, San Guillermo, Dinapugue, San Mateo, Alicia, Angadanan, Ramon, San Isidro, Echague, Jones, San Agustin, Santiago and Cordon.

Signal No. 1 was up in Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands; Batanes, Zambales, Bataan, the rest of Pangasinan, rest of Isabela, rest of Quezon, rest of Camarines Norte, western portion of Camarines Sur, including Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Cabusao and northeastern portion of Oriental Mindoro, including Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Calapan, Naujan, Victoria, Socorro and Pola.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Ambo was estimated at 40 km south of Infanta, Quezon, packing winds of 100 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) senior weather forecaster Chris Perez said at a press briefing earlier in the day the eye of Ambo was expected to pass near Metro Manila between 8 and 10 p.m. yesterday.

If it maintains its northwest direction and speed of 20 kph, the storm is expected to be at 45 kilometers west northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte this afternoon and 65 km northwest of Basco, Batanes tomorrow afternoon.

PAGASA said moderate to heavy to at times intense rains would persist over Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Central Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino province until today.

Metro Manila will continue to experience cloudy skies with rainshowers and thunderstorms today, it said.

Six landfalls

Ambo, the first cyclone to hit the country this year, made six landfalls in the past 36 hours.

Ambo was categorized as a typhoon when it hit the landmass of San Policarpo, Eastern Samar; Dalupiri Island, Northern Samar and Capul Island, Northern Samar on Thursday, knocking down power and communication lines, uprooting trees and blowing off roofs.

Ambo made three more landfalls yesterday, over Ticao Island, Masbate; Burias Island, Masbate and San Andres, Quezon.

It was forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday.

Ambo battered the Philippines as it starts to reopen the economy after more than two months of lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) yesterday urged the government to immediately provide assistance to families displaced by Typhoon Ambo in the Bicol, Samar, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog regions.

“Fisherfolk and farmer families were forced to vacate communities and seek shelter in evacuation areas,” Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“Local and national governments must be prepared in providing assistance to the affected families to ensure that the natural calamity will not worsen the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic,” he added.

Pamalakaya said that aside from relief goods, personal protective equipment and multivitamins must also be provided to the affected families “as part of health safety measures, especially that they are exposed in risky evacuation centers.” – Jaime Laude, Helen Flores, Elizabeth Marcelo, Rudy Santos, AFP