Three injured as Typhoon Kammuri pummels PH, prompting mass evacuations

Three people have been injured so far by typhoon Kammuri (local name “Tisoy”), which continues to bring powerful winds and heavy rainfall to Metro Manila, other parts of Luzon, and parts of Visayas today.

Read: Typhoon Kammuri to hit this weekend, could affect SEA Games venues

Local officials said three residents of Santa Margarita town in the Visayan province of Samar were hurt this morning, ABS-CBN News reports. Two were injured from falling debris, and one sustained injuries after being blown over by the typhoon’s strong winds. The local disaster office said that the three are now safe and in stable condition.

Kammuri made landfall in the town of Gubat, Sorsogon at 11pm yesterday, packing strong winds of 150 kilometers per hour. The National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) have warned of possible flooding and rain-induced landslides, which prompted the mandatory evacuation of over 200,000 residents in at least three provinces in the Bicol region alone.

PAGASA said in today’s bulletin that continuous heavy rainfall is still expected until tomorrow morning, with Signal Number 3 raised in over 50 areas in Central Luzon, including Calabarzon and Mindoro, while Signal 2 is raised in several other parts of Luzon, including Metro in Manila, and in over a dozen provinces in the Visayas.

Typhoon storm signals in the Philippines are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with Signal 1 indicating a relatively mild tropical cyclone, and 5 indicating a super typhoon. Signal 2 indicates 100kph wind and warns against sea and air travel, while Signal 3 indicates up to 180kph winds with moderate to heavy damage expected.

Read: Survey says Filipinos top nationality to believe that climate change will impact human lives

Kammuri has also severely damaged the Legazpi Airport in Albay, the region’s central domestic airport. The Department of Transportation said on Facebook this morning that the country’s civil aviation authorities have dispatched officials to confirm the exact cost of the damage and are currently working to establish communications with six other airports in the Bicol region to check their status.

Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara told radio station DZMM this morning that parts of the Legazpi Airport’s walls were ripped apart, its glass windows shattered, and one of its ceilings had collapsed due to the typhoon.

Flights at all three terminals of the country’s main international hub, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, are closed from 11am too 11pm today as a safety precaution, and around 480 flights have been postponed. Schools and offices have also been forced to suspend classes and work today.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine SEA Games Organizational Committee, said yesterday that they had contingency plans in place for Kammuri and that events slated for today will push through.

“If necessary, the games will continue even without the viewing public, but that is as long as the category of the typhoon is manageable; but if it’s that strong then we could postpone or delay some games,” chief officer Ramon Suzara said.

He added that outdoor tents have been taken down. “The games will be on the same venues and the typhoon will pass by in four hours and we can resume hopefully,” Suzara said.

According to PAGASA’s forecast, Kammuri will leave the Philippines by Thursday evening.

 

 



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