‘Ramil’ leaves 6 dead, displaces thousands

National

TROPICAL Storm Ramil (Fengshen) left at least six people dead, one missing, and thousands displaced after battering parts of Visayas and Luzon with heavy rains and strong winds over the weekend.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Ramil’s onslaught forced more than 22,000 residents to flee their homes as floods and landslides hit several provinces in Western and Eastern Visayas, Bicol, and Central Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Ramil was last spotted 85 kilometers west northwest of Iba, Zambales, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of up to 80 km/h.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 remained hoisted over La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, and Bataan, while Signal No. 1 covered parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Among the casualties was 23-year-old content creator Mae Urdelas, who drowned in Ivisan, Capiz, after slipping into a swollen creek on Saturday afternoon.

Barangay Malocloc Sur village chief Allan delos Santos said Urdelas’ body was recovered three hours later, about a kilometer downstream.

Her final Facebook post read, “Tama na nga ulan (Enough of the rain).”

In Pitogo, Quezon, five members of a family — including a five-month-old infant — were killed when a palm tree crashed onto their hut at the height of the storm early Saturday morning.

Police identified the victims as Alberto, 66; Jean Andrea, 35; her husband Alvin, 35; and their children Nazareth, 11, and baby Noeh.

Authorities in Eastern Samar are also searching for Venetio Pombo, a 30-year-old fisherman who went missing after setting out to sea from San Julian town on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two boys aged 11 and 14 from Masbate were rescued in Northern Samar on Sunday after their small fishing boat drifted in rough waters.

While Ramil made landfall over Gubat, Sorsogon, no major damage was reported in the town, said local disaster chief Raden Dimaano, noting that rains and winds eased after about 30 minutes.

However, heavier flooding and landslides occurred in Capiz, Iloilo, and parts of Samar Island, where roads became impassable and several areas were inundated.

The storm stranded nearly 5,000 passengers and more than 1,500 rolling cargoes across Bicol ports on Saturday, though sea travel had resumed in Matnog, Sorsogon by Sunday, according to the Office of Civil Defense.(Xienderlyn Trinidad, USJ-R Comm Intern)