Tag Archives: Typhoon Koppu

Typhoon Koppu weakens rapidly after killing 58 in Philippines

Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Erik De Castro

CASIGURAN, Philippines (Reuters) – A typhoon that dumped heavy rains on the northern Philippines, killing 58 people as it flattened houses and destroyed crops, was petering out on Wednesday, weather officials said.

Typhoon Koppu weakened from a tropical depression into a low pressure area, but authorities maintained a warning to ferries and fishermen on three northern islands not to go to sea.

Raging floodwaters and landslides triggered by the typhoon in the main Philippine island of Luzon caused most of the deaths, Romina Marasigan, a spokeswoman for the national disaster agency, told reporters.

More than 100,000 people are still in temporary shelters as Koppu destroyed more than 6.57 billion pesos ($141.63 million) worth of crops, infrastructure and homes.

“We were terrified and prayed as we stayed under a table for hours after strong winds blew away the roof and walls of our house,” said one survivor, Andres Subang, 72, wiping away tears as he told of how his family made it through the disaster.

“I have experienced countless typhoons in my lifetime, but this was the worst. It left nothing, we have no food and no more livelihood.”

Farm officials said flooding destroyed 5 percent of expected fourth-quarter production in rice-producing provinces.

The coast guard said seven people died when a boat sank in the central Philippines.

Authorities in the coastal town of Casiguran, where Koppu made landfall at the weekend as a category 4 typhoon, deployed heavy equipment to clear roads of uprooted trees, toppled electric posts and debris.

“When we went around the town, we saw the typhoon’s destructive impact, there were so many houses destroyed,” municipal official Nida Coralde told Reuters, adding that distribution of relief supplies had begun.

Strong winds reduced people’s homes to matchwood, leaving them with nothing, said one survivor, as residents began work to repair homes.

The typhoon grounded military planes and helicopters on Tuesday, forcing the government to send in food, water and other relief materials by road. Some areas were still flooded, without power and communication links.

The Philippines is hit by 20 typhoons every year, on average.

(Writing by Roli Ng & Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Typhoon Koppu Turns Deadly, Tens of Thousands Displaced

At least 12 people have died and six more are missing since the landfall of Typhoon Koppu (Lando) in the Philippines Sunday morning.  Flooding rains continue to pelt  parts of the country with torrential downpours forcing many to flee to rooftops to wait for rescue.  

Troops have been deployed to help residents, but are struggling to access more remote areas.

This slow moving storm is predicted to take days to leave the other which means thousands of residents still have days of life-threatening rainfall ahead. The AP reported that 65,000 villagers have been displaced in the typhoon’s path, including in towns prone to flash floods and landslides.

“As expected, Koppu has stalled near Luzon in the northern Philippines,” said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. “Although its winds will continue to weaken, heavy rain will drench the region into at least Tuesday, leading to more dangerous flooding and possible mudslides.”

Typhoon Koppu is the 12th storm to hit the Philippines this year.  In 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst storms on record slammed the Philippines, destroying entire towns and leaving more than 7000 dead or missing.