MANILA – Areas at the northern part of the Philippines have woken up to destruction wrought by the strong winds and heavy rains of super typhoon “Ompong.”
Almost all buildings in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province sustained some damage and communications were down in places.
More than four million people are directly in the path of the storm, with sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour.
Thousands evacuated amid warnings of 6-meter high storm surges.
Ompong made landfall at Baggao, in the northeast of the Philippines, at about 01:40 a.m. on Saturday.
Isabela and Cagayan areas saw their croplands destroyed and structures damaged.
Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, who was tasked to monitor Isabela, said structures – including the provincial capitol – have lost their roofs and windows to the strong winds.
Farmlands with corn, rice, vegetables, and other crops in Ilagan City have also been inundated. All the roads heading to the area are now passable after being cleared of debris.
“Talagang piniga kami ni Typhoon Ompong. Paikot-ikot. Kahit wala ng ulan malakas pa rin hangin. Talagang mabigat itong ginawa ni Typhoon Ompong,” Bello said during a media conference on early Saturday.
Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade, who was sent to monitor the typhoon’s impact in his home province Cagayan, has reported the damage at the Tuguegarao airport.
“We saw na nasalanta ang airport. Wala hong initial na nakitang problema sa runway. ‘Yung opisina, glasses are splintered, the X-ray machine nabagsakan ng ceiling,” Tugade said.
Public Works secretary Mark Villar reported several road sections closed due to landslides and soil collapse in Regions 1 and 2 and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Maintenance crews were deployed for clearing operations.
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said during yesterday’s afternoon briefing that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has already tallied three casualties.
Citing the report of NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ricardo Jalad, Roque said two rescuers were killed in Cordillera while another one perished in Marikina City.
“There are already three deaths reported,” said Roque. “Right now wala pa tayong complete picture, so ngayon, we’re getting reports on the ground as the typhoon is still there.”
In a radio report by DZBB, Mayor Victoriano Palangdan of Itogon, Benguet said there were three reported deaths in his area due to landslide.
Ompong has a cloud diameter of about 900 kilometers and is heading west at about 30 kilometers per hour.
The World Meteorological Organization billed the storm as the strongest tropical cyclone the world has faced so far this year.
The Philippine Red Cross shared footage of rising floodwaters and winds ripping through towns on Saturday morning.
The typhoon is forecasted to pass through Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon.
Authorities there have urged residents to stay indoors when the storm approaches, and weather experts say it may be the strongest tropical storm to hit the territory in decades.
The typhoon is expected to weaken into a tropical depression by Tuesday. (With a report from Adrian Stewart Co and BBC/PN)
