2 injured in Aurora amid typhoon's fury

At least two people were reported injured after an uprooted tree collapsed on their house in Casiguran town in Aurora province, where super-typhoon "Queenie" made its landfall before dawn Saturday. This developed as local officials in Aurora said nearly all of the houses in San Ildefonso village in Casiguran were damaged due to the typhoon's wrath. Provincial governor Bellaflor Castillo also reported that as of Saturday morning, the typhoon rendered land transportation impassable, heavily damaging the province's road network. "The two were injured after an uprooted tree fell on their house in San Ildefonso. The damage typhoon Paeng brought last week was worsened with the arrival of Queenie," Castillo said in Filipino during an interview on dzBB radio. Alex Ocampo, provincial administrator of Aurora province, told QTV-11 television that Casiguran residents were still coping with the typhoon's power as rains continued to pour in the area. "We have initial reports that 95 percent of houses in San Ildefonso have been either been damaged or partially damaged," Ocampo said. Houses in other areas were also reportedly damaged but Ocampo bemoaned that some highways leading to affected areas have been left impassable. At least four villages in Casiguran – Calangcuasan, Tabas, Marikit, and Kalantas – were flooded. The floodwaters reached up to two feet high, reports said. Castillo voiced fears that the extent of damage could be worse because her office was initially advised Friday that the landfall would be in neighboring Baler. In a separate interview on government-run dzRB radio, Castillo asked the Air Force to provide helicopters, and the military to provide rubber boats to transport relief goods. "We [asked for] boats but the boats were destroyed because of the strong wind," she said in Filipino, adding that, "We need water transport." She said the province's northern towns remained without electricity since Paeng passed the area last week. Power was also cut off at the provincial capital Saturday morning, she said. Castillo said forced evacuation is ongoing in areas where the danger of landslides is high. Meanwhile, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) allowed a partial release of water from Magat Dam in Cagayan Valley Saturday morning. NIA head Arturo Lomibao told dzRH radio the water level at the dam had been at a "critical" 192 meters, one meter shy of the spill level of 193 meters.-GMANews.TV