Ambo cuts swathe of destruction in Quezon province before weakening

Typhoon Ambo left areas of Quezon province in ruins before state weather bureau PAGASA downgraded it to a severe tropical storm Friday afternoon.

But gusts of strong winds and moderate to heavy rains continued to batter the southern portion of the province as of 3 p.m.

In its wake, now severe Tropical Storm Ambo left the province with toppled trees, houses stripped of roofs, flooded roads, and highways littered with debris, rendering some sections impassable for hours.

In Gumaca, the cyclone blew off the roof of the house of the barangay captain of Villa Prinsipe.

Photos by Peewee

Hours later, a flooded and debris-cluttered Maharlika Highway, which links the province to the Bicol region, became passable after it was cleared of fallen trees.

Huge waves battered the shores of the towns of Gumaca, Plaridel, and Atimonan.

Part of the Atimonan seaport caved in under the pressure of the surges.

Ambo's heavy rains caused landslides in parts of Atimonan, with a boulder rolling down before coming to a rest on the highway.

Teams from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council have continued to monitor and gather information about the situation to determine the extent of the damage to infrastructure and agriculture of the province in Ambo's wake.

Ambo's classification was downgraded into a severe tropical storm Friday afternoon, as it continued to move toward northern Quezon and neighboring Laguna province, according to state weather bureau PAGASA. —DVM/LBG, GMA News