MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 3, 2009
2nd Storm Slams Philippines, 4 Dead
Typhoon Parma Makes Landfall, Stranding Thousands on Eastern Coastline; Storm Heading Toward Taiwan
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Residents of Angono township, Rizal province, make their way through floodwaters on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
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A mother floats her daughter through floodwaters in Taytay township, Rizal province, east of Manila on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
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Satellite imagery of Typhoon Parma bearing down on the Northern Philippines, Oct. 2, 2009. (Joint Typhoon Warning Ctr/US Navy)
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Photo Essay Philippines Floods Tropical Storm Ketsana leaves hundreds dead, thousands displaced amid fetid, muddy water.
Typhoon Parma slammed into the Philippines on Saturday, ripping off roofs, toppling power pylons and swelling rivers in the country's mountainous north. Officials and media reports claim four deaths.
The storm - the country's second in eight days - cut a path across the northeastern tip of the main island of Luzon and was headed in the direction of Taiwan, where evacuations of southern villages were under way.
Parma made landfall packing sustained winds of 108 mph, though they weakened as the storm passed overland, leading the Weather Bureau to report Parma will continue to pummel the Northeast Philippines until Monday morning, said CBS News' Barnaby Lo in Manila.
The storm had been previously predicted to exit the Philippines Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Weather bureau chief Prisco Nilo warned that heavy rains could trigger landslides and flooding, and strong winds could create tidal surges "similar to a tsunami" along the eastern coast.
Lo said that the storm, having changed course, will likely spare the capital, which was the hardest hit by last weekend's storm. Typhoon Katsana, which struck September 26, caused the worst flooding in four decades, killing at least 288 people and damaging the homes of 3 million more.
The provinces of Cagayan and Isabela were hardest hit Saturday by powerful winds and drenching rain, cutting some communications and roads to some towns.
Television footage showed strong winds and heavy rainfall that toppled trees and posts, triggered landslides, and tore the roofs off of houses in the province of Cagayan.
"The damage is quite heavy," Cagayan police Chief Roberto Damian told ABC-CBN television. "We are clearing highways and roads to reach people calling for rescue."
Similar damage was reported in neighboring Isabela, where one man drowned and another died from exposure to the cold and wet weather, said Lt. Col. Loreto Magundayao of an army division based in the province.
Lo reports 2 deaths in Camarines Sur, a province south of the capital. One person was reportedly swept away by strong currents, and the other fell off the roof of his house.
A massive preemptive evacuation effort was begun yesterday in anticipation of what was predicted to be a "super typhoon," equivalent of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.
But while Manila and its surrounding areas are relatively safe,
Tens of thousands more have left their homes in the Northern Philippines.
Taiwan issued a storm warning and began moving people out of villages in the southern county of Kaohsiung, local official Lin Chun-chieh said. Flash floods from the last typhoon to hit the Kaohsiung area killed about 700 people in August.
The earlier storm to hit the Philippines, Ketsana, went on to hit other Southeast Asian countries, killing 99 in Vietnam, 14 in Cambodia and 16 in Laos.
It was part of more than a week of destruction in the Asia-Pacific region that has claimed more than 1,500 lives so far: an earthquake Wednesday in Indonesia; a tsunami Tuesday in the Samoan islands; and Typhoon Ketsana across Southeast Asia.
Another typhoon, Melor, was churning in the Philippine Sea, 1,600 miles to the east, threatening the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Most businesses there were shut Saturday morning, and residents of the island of Saipan who don't live in concrete homes moved to typhoon shelters, said Charles Reyes, Northern Marianas Gov. Benigno Fitial's press secretary.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- I don't care about global warming or anything else -- I'm just worried because my son and daughter-in-law landed in the Phillpines this morning and we havent heard from them. Right now, that's all I care about!!!
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- I was here, in Florida, when in 2004 we had the same experience as the Phillipinos are having now. Within about a two week time span, we experienced hurricane Jean, then Francis. Jean damaged my home significantly and then Francis came along and finished the job.
That was a trying time for the entire State of Florida then, especially the east coast. Power was lost for over three weeks in many areas. Debris and trash was scattered everywhere and layed for days on the streets that were'nt caved in. Store shelves were empty for weeks even if the stores remained open through the power of portable generators. But many gas stations were out of gas so not everyone who had a generator had fuel to run it. Many people hoarded fuel before the storms hit. It was a mess.
I can empathize with the Phillipinos. I would just say that things eventually return to normal. Keep a positive attitude.
It has been 5 years since those storms hit us almost to the date. I am glad we have not had a repeat season as 2004. But the memories of having lived through such carnage are still fresh in many Floridian's minds. But they are just memories. As time passes, so will your anguish. - Reply to this comment
- Millions of jobs for Filipinos and we will be prepared for the future to live at the bottom of the Ocean in underwater cities (Oceanography) if the flood gates open and floods the world (The Holy Bible).
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Perhaps you could study harder to get a more realistic understanding of the alledged Biblical Flood. God also said that He would NEVER destroy the Earth by flodding again. Did you forget to read that verse??? - Reply to this comment
The road ahead in Afghanistan, and the crucial decision Obama faces.
