Typhoon Cosme toll: 12 dead, 9 injured

May 19, 2008

Twelve persons have died and nine others were injured while more than 30,000 persons have been affected by tropical storm “Cosme” which is on the way out of the country’s area of responsibility, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said yesterday.

The storm lashed the northern part of the country Sunday, with the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union bearing the brunt of its fury.

Strong winds whipped up by the storm blew away tin roofs and uprooted trees and electricity posts, while the heavy rains flooded large areas, cutting off thousands, relief officials added.

The NDCC identified the four fatalities from Pangasinan as Rosario Luiti, 20; Jessa Ducusin, 15; and Pepito Estacio, 78, who died after they were hit by flying galvanized iron sheets. A fourth victim died due to drowning.

In La Union, Juanita Eserio, and Leopoldo Labasan, 37, died when they were also hit by flying GI sheets. The third fatality in the province, Domingo Obungen, was pinned down by a collapsed wall.

In Benguet, Joseph Palala perished when hit by falling rocks while fixing their water system.

In Zambales, Benjamin Admana died after suffering a heart attack at the height of the typhoon.

In Antique, Leo Amar, died of drowning. Marilyn Oleverio, 15, and Melanie Elardes, also died of drowning in Negros Occidental.

Of the nine injured, five are from Baguio City while two were from Pangasinan. La Union and Zambales each recorded one injured.

The NDCC also reported that at least 3,209 homes from the affected areas in Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Cordillera Administrative Region were destroyed while 5,586 others were damaged.

So far, the NDCC said at least 6,780 families or 34,755 persons have been affected by Cosme.

Large areas remained without power or vital communication lines Monday, with schools used as evacuation centers, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)said.

Damage to infrastructure and agriculture “is expected to be extensive,” it added.

Three provinces in eastern Luzon – Pangasinan, La Union and Zambales – have all been placed under a state of calamity due to the huge damage wrought by Cosme.

The typhoon, the worst yet to have ever been experienced in Pangasinan since the big flood in 1935, not only destroyed crops but also houses and public buildings that may take billions of pesos to rehabilitate.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said, as of early yesterday, Cosme was moving northeastward away from the Philippines, with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 120 km an hour.

The storm “has accelerated as it continues to move northeastward” away from the country, and was expected to be around 400 km southeast of Okinawa, Japan by Tuesday morning. Gina Peralta-Elorde, PNA and AFP

Bookmark to: