By Martin Sadongdong
Uprooted trees and other debris litter major thoroughfares and residents have been displaced in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), which bore the brunt of Typhoon Ambo (International name: Vongfong) as it continues to batter the eastern part of the country on May 15, Friday.
Residents try to salvage belongings amongst their houses destroyed at the height of Typhoon Vongfong in San Policarpio town, Eastern Samar province on May 15, 2020, a day after
(Photo by Alren BERONIO / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC) Executive Director Ricardo Jalad reiterated his advise to local government units to continue to prepare for typhoon Ambo, which is heading for Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija in the next 24 hours, moving northwest at a speed of 15 km/hour.
At 1 p.m. Friday, the eye of typhoon Ambo was located in the vicinity of Oras, Eastern Samar with a maximum sustained winds of 125 km/hour and gustiness of up to 165 km/hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
According to the NDRRMC, Ambo made landfall over San Policarpo, Eastern Samar around 12:15 p.m. on May 14.
It made four more landfalls as of this writing, including over Daluiri, Northern Samar at 10:15 p.m. Thursday; Capul Island, Northern Samar at 10:30 p.m.; Ticao Island, Masbate at 12 midnight Friday; and Burias Islnd, Masbate at 3 a.m.
Jalad said there were “heavy” damages to high-risk structures in areas placed under Signal No. 3.
This includes Sorsogon, Albay; Northern Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands; the western portion of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur; and southern portion of Quezon province.
"There may be widespread disruption of electrical power and communication services. Almost all banana plants are downed,” he said in a situational report.
Some big trees—such as acacia and mango, among others—were also uprooted and broken, while dwarf-type or hybrid coconut trees were tiled or downed. There were also recorded damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage.
Police and residents joined hands in conducting clearing operations in Taft, Eastern Samar, and Lope de Vega and San Isidro towns in Northern Samar to make roads blocked by fallen trees available again for pedestrians and motorists.
Meanwhile, personnel of the Northern Samar provincial police office assisted local officials in the repacking of assorted relief goods at the Northern Samar Provincial Capitol. These will be distributed to residents displaced by the typhoon.
On the other hand, “light to moderate” damages were noted in high-risk structures in areas placed under Signal No. 2.
This includes Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, the rest of Quezon, the rest of Masbate, the rest of Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and the eastern portion of Romblon, and the western portion of Northern Samar.
Jalad said rice and corn fields in the said areas may be adversely affected.
Meanwhile, only “very light” damages were recorded in high-risk structures in areas placed under Signal No. 1, Jalad said.
This includes Cagayan, the Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Oriental Mindoro, the rest of Romblon, the rest of Northern Samar, the extreme northern portion of Eastern Samar, northern portion of Samar, Biliran, the extreme northwestern portion of Leyte, the extreme northeastern portion of Capiz, and northeastern portion of Iloilo.
The NDRRMC has yet to release information on the total number of individuals evacuated due to Ambo and the number of casualties, if there are any.