World’s strongest typhoon in 2020 hits the Philippines
At least 20 people died and tens of thousands were left homeless after Typhoon Goni, the world’s strongest typhoon this 2020, wreaked havoc the eastern part of the Philippines on Sunday.
The super typhoon known locally as Rolly slammed the south of Luzon with sustained wind speeds of up to 215 kph (133 miles) and gusts of up to 265 kph (164 mph). It is equivalent to a category 5 Atlantic hurricane.
Rolly made four landfalls causing heavy rainfall, flooding, storm surges, landslides. Civil defense officials reported that the super typhoon displaced 372,381 people and left 53,863 homes without electricity.
Agricultural crops, mainly rice and corn, worth 1.7 billion pesos ($35 million US) and around 5.6 billion pesos ($115 million US) worth infrastructures were damaged.
Many Local Government Units are pleading for funds from the national government, as most of their calamity fund had been spent to address the COVID-19 crisis.
Bicol Region “badly hit”
President Rodrgio Duterte made an aerial inspection of the damage on Monday in Guinobatan, Albay near the Mayon volcano where more than 300 houses were buried under rocks and lava flows.
Meanwhile, officials from Tabaco City, also Albay province anticipates there will be no electricity until December.
Catanduanes Governor Joseph Cua said that more than 13,000 homes in his province were damaged with some engulfed by an up to five meter (16.4 ft) storm surge.
Catanduanes province remains completely isolated after Rolly downed power supply and communication lines in the island.
The local government has appealed to the telecommunication companies to restore their lines so that residents could communicate with their relatives outside the province and overseas. Telcos in the country were ordered to provide stations that offer free calls and cellphone charging in areas affected by the typhoon until the weekend.
Aerial footages taken by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the extent of damage of Rolly in the province of Catanduanes.
NDRRMC, the country’s disaster council, reported that damages to health facilities in the Bicol region were estimated at 116 million pesos ($2.3 million US). 178 COVID-19 patients and 417 medical and support staff were evacuated from 11 quarantine and testing facilities in storm-hit areas.
Rolly is about to exit the Philippine area of Responsibility (PAR) today as the Philippines braces for another storm forecast to hit the Northern part of the country late this week.