As weather condition improved Monday, Sept. 26, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assisted top government officials in conducting rapid damage and needs assessment (RDANA) while soldiers initiated humanitarian assistance and initiated disaster response (HADR) operations in areas affected by typhoon “Karding.”
Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, AFP Chief of Staff, directed unit commanders to utilize all available assets for the conduct of RDANA by national and local officials in northern, central, and southern Luzon -- with most of the areas submerged in floodwaters.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) utilized a Bell 412 utility helicopter when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew over Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac for an aerial inspection to assess the damage brought by the typhoon after a briefing with officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Other aerial assets such as the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks were also deployed to conduct RDANA in the affected areas of Southern Luzon.
"Aside from their capability to do aerial damage assessments, our deployed helicopters can immediately land for search and rescue operations and do airlift of people from disaster-stricken areas to safer grounds," said Ma. Consuelo Castillo, PAF spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army (PA) said it deployed personnel to conduct road clearing operations in Anawan, Polillo Island in Quezon, one of the hardest hit provinces, to ensure the passage of rescue vehicles and the unhampered delivery of food and water to the typhoon victims.
Personnel from the Southern Luzon Command’s (SOLCOM) 1st Infantry Battalion also safely evacuated 300 families in Infanta and Gen. Nakar, Quezon province.
Meanwhile, personnel from Northern Luzon Command’s (NOLCOM) 203rd Ready Reserve Battalion evacuated residents in four barangays in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya.
The Philippine Navy’s (PN) Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 also rescued four families near the riverbanks in Brgy. Esteves, Casiguran, Aurora.
In Iba, Zambales, residents trapped by floodwaters in Brgys. Cadmang, Mabanglet, and Apo-apo were rescued by personnel from the Army’s 3rd Mechanized Battalion around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
PAF rescue teams also conducted roving and assessment along Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City before the break of dawn Monday where it rescued stranded residents aboard a Toyota Fortuner in the middle of a flooded road. They also rescued passengers of three other vehicles near the exit of Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).