AT least 11 persons, including two minors, died and thousands were displaced yesterday as tropical storm “Enteng” dumped heavy rains in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, triggering floods and a landslide, authorities said.
Six of the fatalities died in Antipolo City, Rizal, of which three were buried by a landslide in a hilly community, while the other three drowned, according to Relly Bernardo, head of the city’s disaster risk reduction and management office.
One was also reported missing due to drowning, said Bernardo.
Bernardo said heavy rains also displaced 349 families or 1,436 individuals, with Barangay San Jose suffering the most damage.
Col. Felipe Maraggun, director of the Rizal Provincial Police Office, said two of the fatalities were declared dead at the Rizal Provincial Hospital. He identified them as alias Lee, 15; and Lester, 12; residents of Daang Pari Sitio Hinapao in Barangay San Jose.
Officials of Barangay San Luis in Antipolo City said four persons are the subject of a “rescue and retrieval operation” due to a landslide in the barangay.
The Bicol police regional office said three deaths are being validated to determine if they are related to Enteng (international name Yagi).
One of the three, an eight-month-old baby, drowned in Naga City, Camarines Sur. The second died of electrocution also in Naga City, while the third was bitten by a snake in Milaor town, also in Camarines Sur.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported only two deaths, both in Central Visayas. It said these deaths are still subject to validation.
NDRRMC spokesman Edgar Posadas said the deaths were recorded in Cebu City, due to landslides.
Posadas said rains brought by Enteng caused flooding in many areas in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bicol, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas, prompting the suspension of government work and classes.
Citing information from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Posadas said 6,052 families or 24,043 individuals were displaced in Bicol, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas alone.
“It’s more on the rains that caused flooding and landslides,” he said, adding the government has promptly responded to the effects of Enteng “because we have been preparing for this.”
He also said relief goods have been prepositioned.
“There are enough resources, including mobility and logistics. So far, it’s okay,” said Posadas, adding the NDRRMC’s operation center has been placed on red alert “so we can focus on our response.”
The Philippine Coast Guard said 3,383 passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers were stranded at various ports due to the suspension of sea travel in Calabarzon, Bicol and Eastern Visayas.
Also stranded were 47 vessels, 718 rolling cargoes, and three motor bancas, the PCG said.
It said four maritime incidents were reported due to Enteng in Navotas City.
The first was a collision between two vessels at the Navotas Anchorage area. One of the vessels, MV Kamilla caught fire. Seventeen of its crew were rescued, while another crew member was brought to a hospital.
A barge also drifted to the Navotas Fish Port Complex.
The two other incidents involved a barge and a motor tanker that ran aground in Barangay Bagumbayan North and later hit and damaged the seawall.
TROPICAL STORM
Enteng intensified into a tropical storm, from a tropical depression, on Sunday night and made landfall in Casiguran, Aurora yesterday afternoon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
In a bulletin issued by PAGASA at 5 p.m., seven areas are under wind Signal No. 2 — Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the eastern portion of Kalinga, Cagayan (including Babuyan Islands), Isabela, Quirino, and the northern portion of Aurora.
Seventeen areas are under Signal No. 1, including Metro Manila. The others are Batanes, Ilocos Sur, La Union, the eastern portion of Pangasinan, Abra, the rest of Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, the rest of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, the eastern portion of Bulacan, Rizal, the northeastern portion of Laguna, and the northern portion of Quezon.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Enteng was in the vicinity of Maddela, Quirino, PAGASA said, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph. It is moving north-northwestward at 20 kph.
PAGASA said Enteng will continue to move north-northwestward over Cagayan Valley or northern Cordillera Administrative Region before turning west-northwestward over Babuyan Channel this morning, Tuesday.
“From tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon to Thursday, Enteng will move generally westward over the West Philippine Sea,” said PAGASA.
It said Enteng may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday morning or afternoon.
PAGASA said Enteng is forecast to remain a tropical storm while traversing mainland northern Luzon.
“Further intensification is forecast to occur from tomorrow afternoon onwards, with Enteng becoming a severe tropical storm by tomorrow afternoon or evening, and typhoon category by Thursday,” PAGASA said.
NO NUMBER CODING
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported up to chest-deep floods in some areas of Metro Manila and announced the suspension of the number coding scheme.
Among the areas flooded, according to the MMDA, were Katipunan Ave., Commonwealth Ave., EDSA Shaw tunnel, Barangay Santolan, Barangay Manggahan, Bagong Silang, Malabon City, and some areas of Marikina.
They were not passable to light vehicles and motorcycles.
Alert level 2 was also raised in areas around the Marikina River due to continuous rains.
The first alarm was raised at 7:51 a.m. when the water level reached 15 meters.
This further raised to 17 meters but began to drop hours later when the rains subsided.
Residents in low-lying areas were asked to voluntarily evacuate to their barangays’ designated evacuation site.
POWER FACILITIES
The Department of Energy (DOE) said at least 24 off-grid power facilities have been affected by Enteng as of noon yesterday.
According to the DOE’s energy situation report No. 1 for TS Enteng, the National Power Corp. (NPC) reported there were 15 diesel power plants (DPPs) on standby and awaiting clearance from concerned distribution utilities to energize the distribution lines.
The NPC said there are also seven DPPs and one power barge operational with ongoing line clearing/ line restoration activities and one DPP on shutdown.
DOE said there were no reported on-grid power generation plants affected by Enteng.
The National Electrification Administration said four electric cooperatives (EC) experienced partial power interruptions due to Enteng but are now undergoing restoration efforts, including Quezon I EC, First Laguna EC, Camarines Norte EC, and Northern Samar EC, with a total number of affected consumer connections at 202,235.
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said around 28,000 of its customers were affected by service interruptions as of noon yesterday,
The company said most of those affected were in Metro Manila and Cavite with the rest located in parts of Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Batangas and Quezon provinces.
“Our crews are working to restore power service to affected areas as soon as possible. We continue to monitor the situation and urge our customers to practice electrical safety,” said Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications, in a statement.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines also said that as of 1 p.m. yesterday, all of its transmission lines and facilities were operating normally.
The DOE also said there was no reported oil supply shortage.
CAB ADVISORY
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) asked all airlines to inform passengers of flight cancellations and strictly comply with the amended air passenger bill of rights.
In an advisory, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla reminded airlines to provide immediate notification of the status of flights to passengers whose flights may be canceled or postponed via all available means of communication to avoid any undue inconvenience to the public.
“Airlines are further reminded to strictly adhere to the provisions of the air passenger bill of rights as amended in addition to any goodwill and necessary assistance extended to all the affected passengers.” The CAB advisory said.
As of 11:50 a.m. yesterday, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced a total of 29 canceled flights due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Of the total canceled flights, 12 were PAL Express flights, 13 flights from Cebu Pacific and its subsidiary CebGo and four flights from Philippine AirAsia.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reported a total of 38 canceled flights yesterday.
Local telcos remained operational amid heavy rains brought by Enteng.
In a statement, Globe said that call, text and data services were operational in most parts of the country, with pockets of outages logged in parts of Bicol and Southern Luzon where the storm caused power failure.
In all, network outages have affected just three percent of total sites in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Marinduque, Cavite, Laguna and Quezon.
PLDT and Smart Communications assured their customers that the network services remain stable, while manpower and resources have also been prepositioned to provide assistance to affected communities.
LEPTOSPIROSIS SURGE
Amid the torrential rains and flooding caused by Enteng, the Department of Health expressed concerns over the possibility of another surge in leptospirosis cases.
“The DOH cautions that rain brings floods that lead to leptospirosis,” said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. “Without proper precautions, the number of cases will most likely go up again due to floods brought about by Enteng.”
The health chief cited the recent experience at the height of typhoon Carina and enhanced monsoon rains that caused massive flooding.
“From July 7 to 20, only 251 cases were recorded. This went up by almost five times to 1,184 from July 21 to August 3 at the height of typhoon Carina and enhanced monsoon floods,” said Herbosa.
DOH data showed a total of 3,785 leptospirosis cases have been recorded nationwide from January 1 to August 17, five percent higher than the 3,605 leptospirosis cases reported during the same period last year.
The DOH head appealed to those who waded in flood waters to immediately seek consultation.
“Whatever the circumstances, even if you don’t have a wound or any symptoms, consult a doctor or health center within one to two days,” said Herbosa. — With Christian Oineza, Myla Iglesias, Jed Macapagal, Gerard Naval and Reuters
