‘Kristine’ death toll at 90; ‘Leon’ east of Luzon
Deaths from Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami) have risen to 90, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday.
It added the number of fatalities is expected to increase as at least 30 people are still missing.
A total of 158 areas have so far been declared under a state of calamity in the wake of Kristine, the NDRRMC said.
The Bicol Region accounted for most of the areas at 78, including the entire provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes.
Agricultural losses due to the weather disturbance was pegged at P1.4 billion, while damage to infrastructure was estimated at P825 million (See related stories in Regions, Page A8).
The Philippine National Police said on Sunday that they have evacuated more than 300,000 individuals affected by Kristine, and more than 4,000 police personnel were deployed to flood-hit communities.
“Ongoing operations continue to focus on distributing relief goods and providing medical assistance to communities in need,” it said.
Foreign assistance
Neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia have sent military aircraft to the Philippines to step up relief efforts following Kristine’s onslaught.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force C-130 cargo plane and a Royal Malaysian Air Force Eurocopter EC725 helicopter landed at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Saturday, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said in a statement.
PAF spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo said in a radio interview on Sunday that Air Force assets, including presidential choppers, have been operating nonstop for disaster response missions.
“After the weather conditions became favorable, our air assets have been flying nonstop to send relief goods, conduct rapid damage assessment and needs analysis,” she said.
Both Singapore and Malaysia said in separate statements that the deployment of their aircraft was at the request of the Philippine government to support airlift operations to deliver humanitarian aid to storm-hit communities.
Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said on Saturday that Brunei and Indonesia have also expressed their intent to send aircraft to the country to help in rescue and relief efforts.
In an emergency meeting last week, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the government had reached out to nearby countries for “airlift and other manpower assistance” to support disaster response missions.
New storm monitored
As Kristine left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) early Sunday, another weather disturbance entered at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the state weather bureau.
According to the 5 p.m. bulletin on Sunday of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the center of Tropical Storm “Leon” (international name: Kong-rey) was located 1,000 kilometers east of Central Luzon, with the storm having no direct effect on the country due to its distance from the Philippines’ landmass.
However, areas in extreme northern Luzon may be affected by the outer rain bands of Leon on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how close the storm will be as it moves north northwest over the Philippine Sea.
Leon may also influence the southwesterly wind flow that was initially triggered by Kristine, which could affect areas in the Visayas, Mindanao and the western section of southern Luzon.
Heading to Taiwan
Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres said in a 5 p.m. broadcast that the southwesterly wind flow is expected to bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over Western Visayas, Negros Island region, Palawan and Occidental Mindoro.
Meanwhile, the extension or trough of Leon will also bring rains over Catanduanes, she added.
Currently, Leon is moving westward at a speed of 20 km per hour (kph) with maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph, according to Pagasa.
The weather bureau said it expected the storm to intensify and become a severe tropical storm by Monday and a typhoon by Tuesday.
As it exits PAR on Friday, Leon may pass very close or make landfall over Taiwan or the southwestern portion of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, Pagasa said.
About 20 tropical cyclones enter PAR every year, of which 90 percent affect the country.
