2,421 families affected; 18 major roads closed, Typhoon leaves 6 dead in Cordillera

DISASTER. Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) conduct rescue operations in the municipality of Buguias in Benguet province after a landslide incident damaged a residential building on Wednesday (July 26, 2023) due to Typhoon Egay. The typhoon has resulted to several landslides and flooding in the region. (Photo grabbed from Bfp Cordillera Pis Facebook page)

By Liza Agoot, March Fianza and AD

BAGUIO CITY -- Six persons died, seven injured while two others are still missing after heavy rains and strong winds brought by Super Typhoon "Egay" pummeled Cordillera late Tuesday afternoon, July 25 up early Thursday morning, July 27.
In Abatan, Buguias, Benguet, four people died while five were injured after landslide buried their residence around 5 a.m. Wednesday.
    A report from the Buguias Municipal Police Station identified fatalities as Marjorie Tumpap, 30; Jasmin Tumpap Dulot, 12; Camila Tumpap Dulot, 5 and Hosana Tumpap, 2.
    The remains of the victims were found in the basement of the buried building.
    Those injured were identified as Marlyn Dolorito Tumpap, 52; Julius Galang Tumpap, 61; Ezekiel Tumpap Torio, 8; Milkezedick Tumpap Torio 6 and Janielle Tumpap Dulot.
    They were retrieved by Buguias police, firemen, municipal disaster office and volunteers, said Lt. Col. Carol Lacuata, police regional chief information officer. 
    In Baguio, a 17-year-old student died while two others were injured after their residence was buried by landslide at the height of the typhoon at Barangay Bakakeng Central.
    A taxi driver and a carwash attendant were rescued at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, from a landslide that buried a shanty within the compound of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center at the height of Typhoon Egay.
    Citing Baguio police director Col. Francis Bulwayan, the Baguio City Public Information Office said the two men were treated for injuries due to the erosion.
    In Bontoc, Mountain Province, a 38-year-old man died when his house was also buried by landslide in Sitio Pakkil, Barangay Caluttit, also on Wednesday.
    The municipal disaster risk reduction unit of Bontoc reported the casualty died from landslide triggered by big bamboo grass that fell on a shanty where the victim sought shelter around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. 
    Bontoc Mayor Jerome Chagsen Tudlong identified the victim as Manginte Paras-e Sagandoy, a native of Betwagan, Sadanga.
    Tudlong said the capital town of Bontoc was isolated for days after major roads were closed due to landslides.
    Major national roads leading to the capital town remained closed at press time: Baguio-Bontoc Road, Bontoc-Banaue Road, Bontoc-Tabuk Road and other provincial and municipal roads that impede the mobility of people and supplies.
    Tudlong said the Dept. of Public Works and Highways and provincial and municipal governments were working to open these roads, although they were having difficulties because of unpredictable weather conditions.    
    In San Juan, Abra, two persons went missing after they were allegedly washed away by rampaging waters of the Abra River also on Wednesday.
    Search and rescue operations are ongoing with assistance of Philippine Navy divers.
    This, as around 2,421 families from the region were affected by the typhoon, the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said. 
    The CDRRMC said 66 families have been evacuated and sent to 13 evacuation centers, 118 families were transferred to residences of relatives and friends while other families remained in their residences but being assisted.  
 The Baguio City DRRM also reported the death of a minor after his family’s residence in the village of Kitma was buried from mud caused by a landslide. 
     Strong rains and winds brought about by Egay and monsoon rains enhanced by the typhoon continued to batter several provinces and this city until early morning of Thursday. 
     The Department of Public Works and Highways in the region, in a separate report, said there were 18 road lines not passable as of 9:14 a.m. on Thursday. 
    “Some of the previously reported closures are now one-lane passable or have been punched-through opened,” said the report shared to government information officers in the Cordillera, which was, in turn, disclosed to journalists. 
    Among the roads that are not passable are the Abra-Kalinga Road, Abra-Ilocos Sur;  Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road, Claveria-Calanasan-Kabugao Road, Apayao (Calanasan)-Ilocos Norte Road, Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road; Outlook Drive in Baguio City; Kennon Road, Benguet-Vizcaya Road, Baguio-Bontoc Road, Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes Road, Gov. Bado Dangwa Road, Congressman Andres Acop Cosalan Road; Kalinga-Abra Road; Mt. Province-Cagayan Road via Tabuk-Enrile; and Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur Road via Tue. 
     The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco), which services Benguet and this city, reported that at least 60 percent of the franchise area has been energized as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday. 
     Beneco also estimates initial damage to infrastructure at around PHP3 million. 
     Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), based on the CDRRMC report, said there are 51,039 family food packs worth PHP39 million and 29,560 non-food items amounting to PHP65 million that have been “placed all over the region through the disaster risk prepositioning agreement (DRPA) entered into with local government units to place in their warehouses the relief items of the DSWD.” 
    The report from the regional DSWD said procurement of some 100,000 pre-packed family food packs as well as raw materials that are equivalent to 20,000 family food packs is ongoing. 
    It said the Department continues to deliver additional relief items in warehouses and food hubs to ensure readiness since the weather disturbance as well as the monsoon rains that was enhanced by the typhoon continues to be felt in the Cordillera.  
    In a separate report as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, the DSWD said 44 active evacuation centers are serving the affected families.  
    The same report bared 60 partially damaged houses and two totally destroyed ones. – With a PNA report