Manila, Nov 4 (AP) A swift typhoon swept through the central Philippines on Monday, having made landfall from the Pacific overnight. The typhoon caused at least two fatalities, initiated flash floods that trapped residents on rooftops and submerged vehicles in two villages, and displaced tens of thousands, officials disclosed.
Typhoon Kalmaegi was hovering over Bacolod City in central Negros Occidental province before noon, with sustained winds reaching up to 140 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 195 kph. It made landfall around midnight in Silago town, located in the eastern Southern Leyte province.
An elderly resident drowned in the floodwaters in Southern Leyte, where a province-wide power outage was also reported. Additionally, another individual died after being struck by a fallen tree in central Bohol province, as per initial reports lacking further details.
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, reported that an unspecified number of residents became trapped on rooftops due to floodwaters in Liloan, a coastal town in central Cebu province.
In Mandaue City, also in Cebu, floodwaters rose "to the level of people's heads," Pang remarked, adding that several vehicles were either submerged or floated away within another Cebu community.
"We've gotten numerous calls from individuals requesting rescue from rooftops and their homes, but it's presently impossible," Pang informed the Associated Press. "The presence of debris and floating cars requires us to wait for floodwaters to recede."
In Eastern Samar, one of the east-central provinces initially struck by Kalmaegi early Tuesday, fierce winds either tore off or damaged about 300 predominantly rural shanties on Homonhon Island, part of Guiuan town. However, no fatalities or injuries were reported, according to Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan.
"There wasn't any flooding, just strong winds," Kwan shared with the AP over the phone. "We're okay. We'll get through this. We've faced more monumental challenges in the past."
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, landed in Guiuan and subsequently swept across the central Philippines, causing more than 7,300 fatalities or missing persons, flattening entire communities, and forcing numerous ships inland. Haiyan destroyed approximately a million homes and displaced more than 4 million individuals in one of the country's poorest regions.
Kalmaegi, being the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, was advancing west at 25 kph (16 mph) and expected to move away from the western segment of the archipelago into the South China Sea by Tuesday or Wednesday, according to forecasts.
Prior to the typhoon's landfall, disaster-response officials noted that over 150,000 individuals evacuated to safer areas within eastern Philippine provinces. Authorities alerted citizens to anticipate torrential rains, potentially damaging winds, and storm surges surging up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet).
The typhoon, encompassing a broad wind span of about 600 kilometers (373 miles), was anticipated to affect central island provinces, including Cebu, which is still recuperating from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on September 30. The earthquake resulted in at least 79 deaths and sustained damage to countless homes, causing numerous displacements.
On central Negros Island, residents received warnings regarding possible volcanic mudflows on Mount Kanlaon, one of the nation's 24 most active volcanoes that has been expelling ash and steam in recent months, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Interisland ferries and fishing boats faced restrictions, preventing them from venturing into increasingly turbulent seas, leaving over 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers stranded across nearly 100 seaports, as noted by the coast guard. Additionally, at least 186 domestic flights got canceled.
The Philippines confronts around 20 typhoons and storms annually, along with earthquakes and over a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone nations. (AP) GSP
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