By: Reigh John Bench Almendras, Thea Divina
The Philippine Coast Guard and civilians working together to recover a body of yet another life lost to the storm. Photo courtesy of Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region via PhilStar.
Severe Tropical Storm "Paeng" caused heavy rains, flash floods, landslides, damaged homes and landscapes, and a death toll of at least 45 people with 14 missing after the storm, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Paeng made its multiple landfalls across southern and northern parts of the country on Friday, October 28, carrying winds of 75 kilometers (46 miles) per hour.
It has the international name "Nalgae" and it is the Philippines’ 16th tropical cyclone for 2022.
Classes and work were suspended in areas of Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Visayas Regions, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced at least 102 domestic and 10 international flights canceled due to the severe tropical storm.
Paeng’s Hardest-hit
BARMM was among the hardest-hit areas in Visayas and Mindanao. Its Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo told reporters in Manila that hundreds of indigenous residents were severely hit in Barangay Kusiong, Datu Odin Sinsuat town.
“A relative of one of the residents there went to our operations center and reported that their community was washed out because of the flash floods and landslide coming from the mountain,” Sinarimbo said.
“The report that we received is that there were dead people, and there were also residents who were trapped in the rubble that need to be rescued,” he added.
Landslides and rapid rising flood affected many families past midnight on Friday, October 28.
Seven out of 13 towns in Maguindanao del Norte, including Cotabato City, suffered the impact of the severe tropical storm.
Cotabato City was placed under a state of calamity after 25 of its 37 villages had been submerged, affecting 67,000 residents.
“The flood was so high, and it was the first time that floodwaters had entered our house in the decades that we have been living here in Cotabato,” Sinarimbo said.
Electricity was cut off in Cotabato City and nearby Maguindanao provinces as precaution.
Cindy Ferrer, the information officer for Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Western Visayas, reported flooding as high as rooftops happened in the provinces of Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Aklan, and Negros Occidental, which affected more than 75,000 people.
The Bicol region was also severely affected, causing floods and landslides displacing more than 1,400 families, or 6,000 individuals.
In Albay province, more than 600 families, around 3,000 people, live near the slopes of Mt. Mayon was evacuated on Friday.
Several roads and bridges were also reported impassable throughout the country as the storm intensified on Friday.
Some bridges, including the San Juan-Bantilan Bridge, which connects Sariaya, Quezon and San Juan, Batangas collapsed due to the strong flood current brought by the storm.
Paeng’s five landfalls were all in Luzon, but initial reports show Mindanao gravely suffered most of the impact.
Vast floods, increasing river water levels, power outages, and water interruptions transpired across Luzon. Over one million customers experienced temporary power interruptions, according to the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Saturday, October 29.
Authorities said the overall casualties is close to 185,000 people across the country, with more than 8,000 people made temporarily homeless.
Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Pasig, and Valenzuela City Governments ordered the closure of its cemeteries, where millions had been expected to visit during the undas weekend, on Saturday.
Due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, NDRRMC has recommended declaring a national state of calamity for one year, with House Speaker Martin Romualdez supporting the proposal.
President Ferdinad “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has issued directives to various government agencies following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng”, giving emphasis on the deployment of water supplies, restoration of power, and reexamination of disseminated information to the public through various government agencies.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set focus on the distribution of Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and relief goods to affected areas by the typhoon. The agency have started with its relief operations in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
The Office of Civil Defense, NDRRMC, Philippine Coast Guard, and Local Government Units (LGUs) are also set to rescue and assist rehabilitation operations in the affected areas.
Vice President Sara Z. Duterte extends her thoughts and prayers to bereaved and gravely affected families by the Severe Tropical Storm "Paeng." The vice president also assures the nation with the nonstop leading emergency operations by the administration.
Tropical Storm "Paeng" is now a Typhoon and is currently traversing the West Philippine Sea. It is expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall over the weekend.
For emergencies, below is the list of emergency hotlines:
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
Trunk line number: (02)8284-0800
Philippine Coast Guard
Hotline: (02)8527-8481 to 89 / (02)8527-3877
National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
Trunk line: (02)8911-5061 to 65 local 100
Philippine National Police (PNP)
Emergency Hotline :117 / (02)8722-0650
Text hotline: 0917-847-5757
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)
Direct line: (02)8426-0219 / (02)8426- 0246
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
Hotline: 136
Trunk line: (02)8882-4151 to 77
Local: 337(rescue)
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Text Hotline :0918-912-2813
Trunkline:(02)8931-8101 to 07