The Sidney Morning Herald – Australia
(http://www.smh.com.au/world/typhoon-parma-tears-into-philippines)
Parma, packing winds of 175 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 210 kilometres per hour, made landfall in the northern province of Cagayan and surrounding areas about midday local time (1400 AEST).
"The wind is very, very angry," Cagayan regional police chief Roberto Damian said in a radio interview from his headquarters, about 400 kilometres from the Philippine capital.
"I can see trees are being toppled inside our camp.... One sturdy Narra tree was uprooted and smashed a car and a house. We cannot go out," he said in a radio interview before his line went dead.
Parma caused major damage in Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan with a population of 130,000, according to the city's mayor, Delfin Ting.
"There's massive destruction of rooftops, and trees have been toppled," Ting said, while residents reported massive rainfalls.
"The whole province is virtually under water," said Aimar Raras, a local resident.
Other parts of the Philippines' main island of Luzon were hit with heavy wind and rain, and by early Saturday evening it was still pummeling the country before being forecast to make its way towards Taiwan.
CBC News – Canada
(http://www.smh.com.au/world/typhoon-parma-tears-into-philippines)
Parma, packing winds of 175 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 210 kilometres per hour, made landfall in the northern province of Cagayan and surrounding areas about midday local time (1400 AEST)."The wind is very, very angry," Cagayan regional police chief Roberto Damian said in a radio interview from his headquarters, about 400 kilometres from the Philippine capital.
"I can see trees are being toppled inside our camp.... One sturdy Narra tree was uprooted and smashed a car and a house. We cannot go out," he said in a radio interview before his line went dead.
Parma caused major damage in Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan with a population of 130,000, according to the city's mayor, Delfin Ting.
"There's massive destruction of rooftops, and trees have been toppled," Ting said, while residents reported massive rainfalls.
"The whole province is virtually under water," said Aimar Raras, a local resident.
Other parts of the Philippines' main island of Luzon were hit with heavy wind and rain, and by early Saturday evening it was still pummeling the country before being forecast to make its way towards Taiwan.
CBC News – Canada
(http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/10/05/parma-typhoon-storm-philippines-taiwan.html)
Typhoon Parma weakened to a tropical storm on Monday but continued to threaten the northern coast of the Philippines, where powerful landslides from heavy rainfall killed 16 people over the weekend.
The storm also churned up waters off the coast in the Taiwan Strait, sinking a Panamanian cargo ship off neighbouring Taiwan and leaving 10 crew members missing, according to the Taiwanese coast guard.
Philippine forecasters said Parma headed northwest into the South China Sea after blowing across the country's north, which was already reeling after an earlier storm killed almost 300 people.
Parma was lingering because another storm — Typhoon Melor — was pulling it back towards the
coast, said chief Philippine government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.
Melor is too far north to affect the Philippines and is expected to blow toward southern Japan. But its presence raises the possibility that Parma might return to the north shore of the Philippines and bring more rain.
Parma was located 220 kilometres off northern Laoag city, packing winds of 105 km/h and gusts of up to 135 km/h.
Manila, the country's capital, escaped the worst of the storm after bearing the brunt of Typhoon Ketsana, which killed at least 288 people in the Philippines and damaged the homes of three million.
Ketsana also left a trail of devastation throughout other countries in Southeast Asia, killing 162 in Vietnam, 18 in Cambodia and at least 16 in Laos.
Yahoo
Typhoon Parma weakened to a tropical storm on Monday but continued to threaten the northern coast of the Philippines, where powerful landslides from heavy rainfall killed 16 people over the weekend.The storm also churned up waters off the coast in the Taiwan Strait, sinking a Panamanian cargo ship off neighbouring Taiwan and leaving 10 crew members missing, according to the Taiwanese coast guard.
Philippine forecasters said Parma headed northwest into the South China Sea after blowing across the country's north, which was already reeling after an earlier storm killed almost 300 people.
Parma was lingering because another storm — Typhoon Melor — was pulling it back towards the
coast, said chief Philippine government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.Melor is too far north to affect the Philippines and is expected to blow toward southern Japan. But its presence raises the possibility that Parma might return to the north shore of the Philippines and bring more rain.
Parma was located 220 kilometres off northern Laoag city, packing winds of 105 km/h and gusts of up to 135 km/h.
Manila, the country's capital, escaped the worst of the storm after bearing the brunt of Typhoon Ketsana, which killed at least 288 people in the Philippines and damaged the homes of three million.
Ketsana also left a trail of devastation throughout other countries in Southeast Asia, killing 162 in Vietnam, 18 in Cambodia and at least 16 in Laos.
Yahoo
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091004/wl_asia_afp/philippinesfloodtyphoon)
MANILA (AFP) – Large parts of the northern Philippines were flooded and without power on Sunday after Typhoon Parma killed at least 15 people, as authorities warned of another storm looming to the east.
Exactly one week after storm Ketsana dumped the heaviest rains in more than 40 years that
devastated Manila, killing nearly 300 people, Parma ripped through the north of the Philippines' main Luzon island on Saturday.
Many areas in the north remained blacked out and cut off from communication on Sunday as Parma left the country and hovered over the South China Sea. Roads were submerged or littered with fallen trees and toppled power lines.
Two separate landslides buried homes in the province of Benguet, killing 12 people on Saturday, provincial police director Chief Superintendent Loreto Espinili said. Related article: Joyful reunions and despair
The fatalities were on top of three casualties earlier reported by other authorities elsewhere.
The state weather bureau warned of more misery as Typhoon Melor, monitored about 600 kilometres (370 miles) to the east, was expected to enter Philippine maritime territory by Monday afternoon before blowing north to eastern China or Japan.
Melor was "interacting" with Parma, a phenomenon that could see it being sucked back to Luzon, said forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.
"(Parma) will have a looping action, which means that from almost outside the Philippine area of responsibility it will make a re-curvature and possibly pass the northern area of Luzon for the second time," he said.
Parma first slammed into the northern province of Cagayan on Saturday and caused major damage there, local authorities reported.
"The winds were very strong. There is no power here. There is extensive damage to houses, electrical posts were toppled," Delfin Ting, mayor of Tuguegarao, the capital city of Cagayan, told local radio.
Illustrating Parma's fury, Cruz said the weather station in Laoag was almost hit by a "flying guardhouse". Related article: Asian armies rush to aid victims
There had been no immediate reports of casualties in Cagayan after authorities evacuated nearly 170,000 people in Parma's path before it struck.
Bellaflor Angara, governor of Aurora province also in the north, said swathes of rice fields were under water, which could cause supply problems in the next few months.
"The rains heavily damaged our rice fields," she said over local radio. "We are trying to bring back everything to normal, but that will take time."
Parma was likely to remain almost stationary west of northern Laoag city, and could bring more heavy rain and lashing winds to the area in the next two to three days, forecaster Cruz said.
"It's likely that this will continue for the next several days, then flooding and landslides would be inevitable," Cruz said, adding that Melor would be the 18th tropical cyclone to hit the country this year.
The agriculture department estimated the damage to crops was at least 5.5 billion pesos (117 million dollars) so far, and said the figure was expected to rise.
While supply of rice is adequate for the year, President Gloria Arroyo ordered agriculture officials to import rice to augment stocks for 2010.
Meanwhile, many areas in Manila and nearby eastern provinces remained flooded more than a week after Ketsana dumped a month's worth of rain in nine hours.
Of the more than 3.3 million affected by the floods, nearly 400,000 remained in evacuation centres scattered across the city.
International aid has been trickling in, although authorities said many areas remain under-served amid warnings of disease outbreaks in overcrowded camps.
MANILA (AFP) – Large parts of the northern Philippines were flooded and without power on Sunday after Typhoon Parma killed at least 15 people, as authorities warned of another storm looming to the east.
Exactly one week after storm Ketsana dumped the heaviest rains in more than 40 years that
devastated Manila, killing nearly 300 people, Parma ripped through the north of the Philippines' main Luzon island on Saturday.Many areas in the north remained blacked out and cut off from communication on Sunday as Parma left the country and hovered over the South China Sea. Roads were submerged or littered with fallen trees and toppled power lines.
Two separate landslides buried homes in the province of Benguet, killing 12 people on Saturday, provincial police director Chief Superintendent Loreto Espinili said. Related article: Joyful reunions and despair
The fatalities were on top of three casualties earlier reported by other authorities elsewhere.
The state weather bureau warned of more misery as Typhoon Melor, monitored about 600 kilometres (370 miles) to the east, was expected to enter Philippine maritime territory by Monday afternoon before blowing north to eastern China or Japan.
Melor was "interacting" with Parma, a phenomenon that could see it being sucked back to Luzon, said forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.
"(Parma) will have a looping action, which means that from almost outside the Philippine area of responsibility it will make a re-curvature and possibly pass the northern area of Luzon for the second time," he said.
Parma first slammed into the northern province of Cagayan on Saturday and caused major damage there, local authorities reported.
"The winds were very strong. There is no power here. There is extensive damage to houses, electrical posts were toppled," Delfin Ting, mayor of Tuguegarao, the capital city of Cagayan, told local radio.
Illustrating Parma's fury, Cruz said the weather station in Laoag was almost hit by a "flying guardhouse". Related article: Asian armies rush to aid victims
There had been no immediate reports of casualties in Cagayan after authorities evacuated nearly 170,000 people in Parma's path before it struck.
Bellaflor Angara, governor of Aurora province also in the north, said swathes of rice fields were under water, which could cause supply problems in the next few months.
"The rains heavily damaged our rice fields," she said over local radio. "We are trying to bring back everything to normal, but that will take time."
Parma was likely to remain almost stationary west of northern Laoag city, and could bring more heavy rain and lashing winds to the area in the next two to three days, forecaster Cruz said.
"It's likely that this will continue for the next several days, then flooding and landslides would be inevitable," Cruz said, adding that Melor would be the 18th tropical cyclone to hit the country this year.
The agriculture department estimated the damage to crops was at least 5.5 billion pesos (117 million dollars) so far, and said the figure was expected to rise.
While supply of rice is adequate for the year, President Gloria Arroyo ordered agriculture officials to import rice to augment stocks for 2010.
Meanwhile, many areas in Manila and nearby eastern provinces remained flooded more than a week after Ketsana dumped a month's worth of rain in nine hours.
Of the more than 3.3 million affected by the floods, nearly 400,000 remained in evacuation centres scattered across the city.
International aid has been trickling in, although authorities said many areas remain under-served amid warnings of disease outbreaks in overcrowded camps.
Guardian – UK
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/03/phlippines-typhoon-parma-evacuations)
The provinces of Cagayan and Isabela were hardest hit today by powerful winds and drenching rain, which cut off some communications and roads.
"The damage is quite heavy," the Cagayan police chief, Roberto Damian, told ABC-CBN television. "We are clearing highways and roads to reach people calling for rescue."
In Isabela, one man drowned and another died from exposure to the cold and wet weather, said Lieutenant Colibek Loreto Magundayao, from an army division based in the province.
Tens of thousands of people were moved to safe ground across the Philippines ahead of the typhoon, though officials said the threat of another national disaster eased as Parma changed course last night and bypassed the capital, parts of which are still chest-deep in floodwaters.
Trees were uprooted and power poles toppled in the provincial capital of Tuguegarao, a Cagayan local government official, Bonifacio Cuarteros, said. Buildings had their roofs torn off and similar damage was reported in neighbouring Isabela.
Parma hit the coast with sustained winds of 108mph, though they weakened as the storm passed overland, the national weather bureau said.
The weather bureau's chief Prisco Nilo warned that the heavy rain could trigger landslides and flooding, and strong winds could create tidal surges "similar to a tsunami" along the eastern coast....
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a nationwide disaster yesterday to allow local governments to access emergency funds and cap the prices of essential goods. She also ordered troops to evacuate more than 100,000 people from areas at risk from the typhoon, Reuters reported.
Officials said some 5.5billion pesos (£72m) in crops, mostly rice about to be harvested, were damaged by Ketsana last week. The damage to bridges and roads was estimated at 1.6billion pesos. [Note: The present exchange rate is about 46 Philippine pesos to one US dollar - H.O.]
Arroyo ordered a one-year deferment in repayment of loans provided by state pension funds, part of liquidity-boosting measures to protect the economy following the devastation.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/03/phlippines-typhoon-parma-evacuations)
The provinces of Cagayan and Isabela were hardest hit today by powerful winds and drenching rain, which cut off some communications and roads."The damage is quite heavy," the Cagayan police chief, Roberto Damian, told ABC-CBN television. "We are clearing highways and roads to reach people calling for rescue."
In Isabela, one man drowned and another died from exposure to the cold and wet weather, said Lieutenant Colibek Loreto Magundayao, from an army division based in the province.
Tens of thousands of people were moved to safe ground across the Philippines ahead of the typhoon, though officials said the threat of another national disaster eased as Parma changed course last night and bypassed the capital, parts of which are still chest-deep in floodwaters.
Trees were uprooted and power poles toppled in the provincial capital of Tuguegarao, a Cagayan local government official, Bonifacio Cuarteros, said. Buildings had their roofs torn off and similar damage was reported in neighbouring Isabela.
Parma hit the coast with sustained winds of 108mph, though they weakened as the storm passed overland, the national weather bureau said.
The weather bureau's chief Prisco Nilo warned that the heavy rain could trigger landslides and flooding, and strong winds could create tidal surges "similar to a tsunami" along the eastern coast....
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a nationwide disaster yesterday to allow local governments to access emergency funds and cap the prices of essential goods. She also ordered troops to evacuate more than 100,000 people from areas at risk from the typhoon, Reuters reported.
Officials said some 5.5billion pesos (£72m) in crops, mostly rice about to be harvested, were damaged by Ketsana last week. The damage to bridges and roads was estimated at 1.6billion pesos. [Note: The present exchange rate is about 46 Philippine pesos to one US dollar - H.O.]
Arroyo ordered a one-year deferment in repayment of loans provided by state pension funds, part of liquidity-boosting measures to protect the economy following the devastation.
