Panic buying, anxiety as Yolanda strikes Cebu

MANILA, Philippines – Strong winds and heavy rains brought fear and alarm to thousands of people on Friday, November 8, as Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) battered several provinces in Central Visayas.

Filipinos in the province of Cebu said it began to rain on Thursday night, November 7. The rains grew stronger by 8:00am of Friday, November 8. Power also went out between 9-10am of the same day. Mobile signals are still working as of this publication. (READ: Most powerful 2013 storm hits PH)

Panic buying

In Cebu City, call center agent Mart Maravillas, from Pardo town, said the trees outside his office swayed heavily and that he could hear the flapping of metal roof sheets in the wind. Maravillas said call center workers were sent home early.

People packed grocery stores to buy food and water in anticipation of power outages.

Cebu resident, Jay Nava, said he went to a grocery store and found that “halos ubos na ang mga paninda (almost all goods were out).” Stores also ran out of supplies, including batteries and flashlights. By 8:00 pm Thursday night, shops and other establishments were forced to close early.

Strong winds

Lito Rama, a nurse, said the winds were so strong, it made a loud noise. He also said visibility was very poor. “Hindi na makita ‘yung bundok sa likod dito sa Cebu City (the mountain here in Cebu City can no longer be seen).” Rama said the last time he experienced a storm this strong was around 20 years ago, when he lived in Negros Occidental.

Blogger Jose Farrugia said that winds started howling by around 9:30 to 10:00 am. “This is my first time to experience [a typhoon with] this kind of magnitude. Of course, we’ve gone through several tropical storms, but this seems to be the [worst],” he said.  

“Nakakatakot talaga ang hangin (The winds are really scary),” Nava said.

The winds lifted random objects and debris. Many residents are staying indoors to ride the typhoon out.

According to Nava, some locals said the last time Cebu experienced a typhoon this strong was in 1990, when Typhoon Ruping hit the Philippines.

Anxious

Residents are on alert and anxious about the final impact of Typhoon Yolanda on the city. (READ: Yolanda seen to hit 5 M people the hardest)

As of the 11:00am, November 8, PAGASA said that Typhoon Yolanda is expected to pass the southern part of Mindoro between 6:00-7:00pm. Yolanda is expected to exit towards the West Philippine Sea by 8:00-10:00pm of the same day.

According to PAG-ASA, Yolanda will exit the Philippine Area of Responsilibity by Saturday morning. – Rappler.com/with reports from Karen Liao, Raisa Serafica and Mica Romulo

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