At least 9 dead, 50 injured in Eastern Visayas due to Jolina

Typhoon Jolina killed at least nine people as of Sunday, September 12, according to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Eastern Visayas (RDRRMC).

At least four bodies were found in the island town of Sto. Niño in Samar. The RDRRMC said four others died in Leyte province and one in Biliran.

The RDRRMC reported at least 16 individuals were injured on land while four were still missing.

But 50 fishermen who were rescued in the coastal waters off Sto. Niño town when Jolina made its third landfall also suffered injuries, Mayor Marinell Acilo-Apolonio told Rappler.

“We provided necessary intervention for them, especially medicine, food, and clothing,” Acilo-Apolonio said. The 50 fisherfolk came from different areas of Samar, he said.

The Sto. Niño mayor said power interruptions and poor cellular network coverage made it hard to coordinate rescue and relief operations with government agencies and local government units on the mainland.

The municipality of Sto. Niño is about 24 kilometers from Calbayog City in mainland Samar.

Meanwhile, twelve individuals from Sto. Niño were safely brought back to Catbalogan, according to city mayor Dexter Uy.

Aside from the first landfall in Hernani, Eastern Samar, Jolina made four landfalls in Samar, namely the island municipalities of Daram, Sto. Niño, Almagro, and Tagapul-an.

No final numbers yet

The Department of Health has yet to confirm the total number of deaths in the region, according to the RDRRMC. 

Two bodies had been found in the municipalities of San Antonio and Victoria in Northern Samar. At least two individuals are still missing as of this writing. 

The RDRRMC also reported the typhoon damaged 52,608.9 hectares of crop area with an estimated cost of P179,566,272. 

Meanwhile, 4,798 houses were reported partially damaged while 105 homes were totally damaged.  – Rappler.com