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A typhoon battered Northern Philippines this Saturday (03rd October) bringing with it gale-force winds and lashing rains. The capital of Manila and surrounding areas were spared although they were ravaged by floods last week.
The typhoon named Parma, fell trees and tore apart rooftops in Cagayan province, 405km north of Manila. It is now speculated to reach the town of Santa Ana this Saturday evening.
“Angry winds are now battering our area and it would be disastrous if the impact would be stronger,” police regional commander Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian said.
Damian, who also heads the regional disaster coordinating council, said many roads were blocked because of the uprooted trees. Electricity had been cut off since the morning in the affected provinces.
“We have also been receiving numerous telephone calls about roofs being ripped off,” he said.
According to the weather bureau, typhoon Parma was packing maximum sustained winds of 175km per hour (kmph) and gusts of up to 210 kmph.
Over 33,000 people in Manila and surrounding eastern and northern provinces fled their homes in preemptive evacuation as ordered by the government.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, heading the National Disaster Coordinating Council, urged the public not to become complacent despite the change.
While the storm has changed course, it does not mean there will be no rains,” he said over radio. “We’re not yet sure if it will not rain and if it will not flood again.”
On September 26, tropical storm Ketsana brought in a month’s worth of rain in Manila and her surrounding provinces, killing 288 people. More than 400,000 people were in evacuation centres after losing their homes.
These incidents are the distressing signs of the coming climate change.
