Santi already on the way out

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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Typhoon Santi (international name: Nari) is now over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and is expected to be out of the country by tomorrow morning, Sunday, October 13.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Santi left at least 5 people dead and 4 fishermen still missing.

At 10 am on Saturday, October 12, the eye of the typhoon was located at 100 km west of Iba, Zambales. It maintained maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, gaining speeds of up to 150 kph.

Tomorrow morning, Typhoon Santi is expected to be at 520 km west of Iba, Zambales, or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Storm Signal No 1 is raised for Zambales and Bataan. Winds of 30 to 60 kph are expected within 36 hours.

The amount of rainfall is estimated to be from 5 to 15 miliimeters per hour, which is classifed as moderate to heavy, within the 400-kilometer diameter of the typhoon.

Santi barrelled across the north early Saturday, uprooting trees, and leaving more than a million people without electricity, officials said. No casualties were reported.

Earlier this morning, Santi weakened after making landfall in Aurora and crossing Central Luzon.

PAGASA warned that sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas. Public storm warning signals elsewhere have been lowered.

The next PAGASA bulletin will issued at 5 pm, October 12.

5 dead, 4 missing 

NDRRMC Military Assistant for Operations Major Reynaldo Balido, Jr. told Rappler that 5 have been confirmed dead as of 12:25 pm on October 12:

• PO1 Crisencio Omawing Bueno, who drowned while on duty after a landslide hit their base in Barangay Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga;
• An individual who was electrocuted in Candaba, Pampanga;
• and 3 individuals who were hit by uprooted trees in Jaen, Nueva Ecija.

The 4 who are missing include 3 fisherman from Barangay Tinago, Viga, Catanduanes. They have been missing since October 8. Another missing fisherman is from Dingalan, Aurora.

Balido said they expect more reports to come in, as Santi moves away from land.

The damage caused by Santi blacked out 37 towns and cities across Central Luzon, according to a tally by the civil defence office in the region.

Road and utility crews were out clearing roads and restoring power, but it could take up to two days before electricity is restored and major highways are reopened to traffic, Nigel Lontoc, a disaster official for the region, told AFP by telephone. 

About 3,000 people moved into government-run shelters before the typhoon struck amid warnings of flooding and landslides, Lontoc said. About 17 villages in Bulacan were under up to 4 feet of floodwater, he added.

Balido and Lontoc said local officials were tallying the number of damaged homes, many of which had their roofing blown off.

The typhoon spared the capital Manila, where the state weather service had warned on Friday about possible widespread flooding.

No major floods have been reported in the metropolis of more than 12 million people. – Rappler.com

 

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