Philippines: tropical storm claims hundreds of lives

Scene of destruction

A tropical storm devastated two major cities in Mindanao, the Philippines, in the early hours of Saturday, 17 December, killing at least 700 people. Around 800 others are missing. The two cities, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan are very familiar to many Columban missionaries. They have a house and parish in Cagayan de Oro, which have taken in people whose homes were washed away or badly damaged.

The storm was initially forecast to strike the island of Negros, but it changed course and hit an area of Mindanao that rarely experiences a typhoon or tropical storm.

Authorities have been criticised for not giving enough warning of the storm's severity. Entire villages have been washed away by fast rising flood waters, and hundreds of bodies are being washed up on the northern coast of Mindanao, an island that is bigger than Ireland. The absence of a flood warning, high tide, darkness and a false sense of security proved disastrous. Add illegal logging, rapid urbanisation and mining, and the result was deadly for residents of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, government officials said.

The government and the Red Cross have appealed for help to feed, clothe and house more than 100,000 displaced people as soldiers battle to recover bodies. Access to fresh water is also a problem. The Philippine President will fly to the devastated areas on Tuesday.

Carina ‘Rockrock’ Antequisa, a partner of the Columbans and a consultant to CAFOD, wrote on Sunday:

“By the grace of God, me and my family are all safe. Our place is almost completely surrounded by mountains, making us safe from the storm. There is also no major river within our vicinity and that saved us from the flash floods. We are about six kilometers away from the nearest of the two rivers that burst their banks and brought the havoc to Iligan City. Roughly 30 percent of the city's population live within a half-kilometre of the banks of the two rivers. When the two rivers overflowed with water, mud, rocks and logs, all the communities along its banks - Christians, Muslims and Indigenous Peoples - were swept towards the sea. Those a bit further from the rivers and on higher land were engulfed with flood waters and mud that has still not receeded.
 
"The massive logging in Iligan's mountains and the continued timber cutting for lumber and firewood has greatly contributed to the devastation. Mud, rocks, and logs wrought more devastation than the winds. Strong winds lasted just about 10 minutes but the rain lasted 24 hours. The heaviest came an hour before and after the strong winds hit. It was these heavy downpours that caused mountain slopes to slide down towards the rivers, with trees, bamboo groves and coconuts. Carried with them were hundreds of houses with sleeping residents. All this happened just past midnight.
 
"The complacency of the Iligan government and communities also contributed to the devastation. Iligan and Cagayan de Oro are not within the typhoon belt and Iligan has never experienced being hit by a storm in the last 50 years. Although it has occasional swelling of the two rivers during heavy rain, the rise is gradual and people have had time to evacuate. The initial warning that the incoming storm might hit Central and Northern Mindanao came four days in advance of Saturday. Since people for decades were used to observing storms moving northward and only touching the northernmost part of Mindanao, people of Iligan were only bracing for prolonged rain and were unprepared for the severity of the storm.
 
"My fruit farm, which lies about 18 kilometres from the city, has had a partial landslide. My farm caretaker, whose house was just about 30 meters away from the landslide, reported that after they felt the strong winds and the thunderous rain, they smelt mud and heard the sound of rushing water from the river.
 
"The search and rescue operation is still ongoing. Live and dead bodies are being washed up on the shores of neighbouring towns in Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental. The city government of Iligan is still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the disaster.”
 
VIDEO LINKS

Youtube clip of flooding in Cagayan de Oro go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lFpu4DeVw&feature=player_embedded

Youtube clip of flooding in Bayug Island: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xwB9mW3vLI

Youtube clip showing concerns about the impacts of climate change on the Philippines. One fear is more severe weather, particularly more frequent and more severe typhoons. www.youtube.com/watch?v=leGYjynAvE0