THE official death toll from typhoon “Quinta” rose to 16 yesterday as authorities continued to prepare for the impact of a new weather disturbance which entered the country in the afternoon and another one forecast to enter on Sunday.
Quinta left the country on Wednesday.
Severe tropical storm “Rolly” entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) at 5:30 p.m. yesterday.
The third weather disturbance may enter country on Monday or Tuesday.
PAGASA weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said Rolly is expected to hit Quezon and Aurora provinces “between Sunday and Monday” and will be out of the country on Tuesday.
Ordinario urged the public, especially those in eastern part of Luzon, to prepare for Rolly as he said it is quote strong, and stronger than Quinta.
Quinta made a landfall in Albay last Sunday and battered the Bicol, Mimaropa and Calabarzon regions.
Ordinario said Rolly will affect areas that were hit by Quinta and the previous typhoon “Pepito.”
NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal said local government units have been advised to brace for the impact of Rolly.
A low pressure area east of Mindanao intensified into a tropical depression at 8 a.m yesterday. As of 3 p.m yesterday, it was still outside the PAR, or some 2,435 km east of Mindanao.
Ordinario said the tropical depression may intensify into a tropical storm within 24 hours from yesterday afternoon. He said it may enter PAR on Monday or Tuesday. He did not say if it will make a landfall.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said seven of the fatalities are from the Mimaropa region — two in Occidental Mindoro (both drowning), two in Marinduque (one drowning and one hit by fallen tree), and one each in Oriental Mindoro (hit by fallen tree), Palawan (hit by fallen tree), and Romblon (drowning).
The Camp Aguinaldo-based NDRRMC said five also died in the Bicol region – two in Albay and three from Catanduanes. The five died of drowning.
The agency said two perished in the Calabarzon region — one each in Laguna and Quezon, both due to drowning.
The two other fatalities were from the Central Visayas region, both in Negros Oriental province. They also died of drowning.
The NDRRMC said 57,742 families or 242,220 persons in 1,008 barangays
were affected in the Ilocos, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas regions.
Of the number 19,643 or 76, 897 persons are still displaced — 16,830 families or 65,579 persons are living with their families or friends and 2,813 families or 11,318 are still housed 916 evacuation centers.
It said 29,528 houses were either destroyed or damaged by the typhoon.
The NDRRMC said the initial cost of damage to agriculture in the Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Western Visayas regions was pegged at P736 million.
It said the cost damage to agriculture in Bicol was P92.2 million only.
