Typhoon Hagupit flattens many houses in the Philippines

Strong winds blew off roofs, knocked down large trees and caused widespread disruption to power and communication systems in the storm-hit area.

Tropical storm Hagupit swept through the central Philippines on December 7, bringing strong winds that blew off roofs, felled many large trees, and caused widespread disruption to power and communication systems in the storm area. It is forecast that early this morning (December 8), the storm will continue to make landfall on the small island of Sibuyan before sweeping through an area 120km south of the capital Manila.

More than 1 million people living in coastal villages and landslide-prone areas moved to evacuation centers as Typhoon Hagupit made landfall on December 6, Philippine authorities said. The storm, which had reached Category 5 strength as it churned across the Pacific Ocean days earlier, weakened to a Category 2 storm on December 7 as it made landfall in Cataingan town, south of Masbate island.

In Calbayog City, Samar province, the typhoon brought heavy rains and strong winds, causing rivers to overflow, flooding some low-lying communities. Power was cut, disrupting communications. Work is currently underway to clear debris from highways where the typhoon passed.

Millions of Filipinos had to take shelter from the storm in bunkers and basements. – Photo: Reuters

Although the storm is not expected to be as devastating as Super Typhoon Haiyan, some residents who have just returned home after the storm swept through Samar province said they felt it was even stronger than Super Typhoon Haiyan, which claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people last year.

“Compared to what happened during Typhoon Haiyan last year, I feel like this typhoon is even stronger, because Typhoon Haiyan did not flood our houses here, we only felt strong winds,” said a local resident.

Several landslides caused by the storm were also recorded in the coastal province of Sorsogon and some other areas.

Power was cut off in most of Samar province, neighboring Leyte province, including Tacloban city, Masbate, many areas of Cebu island and some southern provinces of Luzon island also suffered power outages, communication systems were cut off. The Philippine Red Cross is currently counting the casualties and damage caused by the storm.

In Albay province and Cebu island, large waves hit many coastal villages, forcing villagers to stay in evacuation centers for safety.

Rescue and response efforts are still underway. Alexander Pama, the disaster response official, said that major roads in parts of Leyte and Samar, and southern Luzon, are currently blocked due to debris from the storm, with some areas severely flooded. “What we are emphasizing and prioritizing now is the cleanup operation. As I mentioned earlier, many roads are impassable, and that is where the focus of coordination between the relevant agencies, local governments, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is, so that we can clear the roads to facilitate the delivery of the necessary relief supplies.”

Nearly 2,000 soldiers have been mobilized to help clear roads and two airports on Samar island, to facilitate food trucks and planes carrying emergency relief supplies to reach people in disaster-hit areas./.

According to VOV