Over 20 people dead in Emong aftermath - NDCC

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Emong weakened into a storm as it exited out of the country on Friday, leaving at least 20 people dead and rendering many roads in northern Luzon impassable, officials said. Preliminary reports coming from different provinces hit by the typhoon showed at least six more people were missing as of Friday afternoon. In Ifugao province, police said 11 people died in separate landslides in the towns of Kiangan and Hingyon. In Pangasinan, GMA’s Flash Report quoted sketchy initial information from the provincial police saying eight people were killed and two injured. A report by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said a man died of heart attack in Santa Cruz, Zambales at the height of the typhoon on Thursday. In Nueva Vizcaya, 45-year-old Merlyn Antonio was killed after being swept by strong current while crossing the Atbu River in Santa Fe town at about 8 a.m., police said. Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, police director for the Cagayan Valley Region, said the body of the woman was later recovered and returned to her family. “Kung kailan natapos ang pag-ulan tsaka naman tayo nagkaroon ng isang casualty [Just when the rains had stopped, we suffered our first casualty in Nueva Vizcaya]," Damian lamented. Way up north in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province, three people – including two children – went missing after the boat they were on board was carried away by strong currents of the Matalag River in Gagabuatan village of Rizal town. The missing persons were identified as Carmen Anguluan, 45; Macmac Anguluan, 7; and McDave Calibuso, 5. In Bataan, at least three remained missing, including one in Bagong Silang village in Balanga City, officials said. Tens of thousands of residents were affected by the weather disturbance, including at least 4,000 in Pangasinan, reports said. Overflowing dam, blocked roads Officials said that the heavy downpour caused by Emong has also caused Magat Dam at the boundary of Ifugao and Isabela provinces to overflow, and residents were warned of possible floods as authorities had to release water from the dam. “Water continues to be slowly released and areas along the riverbanks are expected to get flooded," Chief Supt. Damian said. In Bagabag town in Nueva Vizcaya, one span of the Lanog Bridge – which links Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao – had been rendered impassable to all types of vehicle after it collapsed. “The Department of Public Works and Highways had begun repairing the bridge," Damian said. Electric power was cut in Dagupan City and in Lingayen town in Pangasinan, which was in the direct path of Emong Thursday night. Power was restored in Dagupan early Friday. More than 20 families were evacuated from Bolinao town in Pangasinan as of Thursday night, when Emong first made landfall. Damage reports Radio reports quoting local officials and villagers saying the typhoon caused heavy destruction to crops and property, but official reports were slow in coming. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, chair of the NDCC, was quoted over radio dzBB directing Office of Civil Defense units in affected provinces to immediately submit their damage reports. Teodoro said they should get a hold of these reports as these would be used by the national government to determine which areas should be “prioritized" in distributing relief assistance. He said he was leaving to local government officials the decision to declare a state of calamity on their respective turfs. In its latest advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Emong was 200 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City or 220 km southeast of Aparri, Cagayan. Emong, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility from the South China Sea on Wednesday, strengthened into a typhoon with center winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour as it slammed into Pangasinan Thursday night at 7 p.m., according to Pagasa. Moving east-northeastward, Emong swept into the mountain provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Apayao before exiting through Cagayan province into the Philippine Sea. with Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV