NEWS > Philippines: 640,000 people affected by tropical storm > Philippines: chaos and horror after the storm
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Philippines: chaos and horror after the storm
A cbm local partner reports on the hours after the storm hit: ‘On Friday 16 December 2011, before midnight, tropical storm Washi (locally named “Sendong”) made landfall somewhere east of the island of Mindanao. Strong winds and heavy rainfall were soon experienced by Cagayan de Oro City, Northern Mindanao, which resulted in electrical current interruptions. By 1AM, sirens from fire trucks and ambulances could be heard all around the city. The water level of Cagayan de Oro River rose to 6 to 10 meters and overflowed 13 barangays (wards) along its banks. The floods caught the population off-guard. The city was pitch-black and rescue operations were not evident all around the city. Heavy rains stopped around 3AM. On Saturday morning, a bright sun showed the devastating effects of “Sendong”: dead bodies, areas that used to be congested with houses and that been flattened, scattered debris reaching almost 300 meters from the river banks. Towards the afternoon, the water flowed into the adjacent barangays totally affecting 28 barangays. Relief operations were now moving fast. Private businesses and organizations, on their own initiative, trooped to the centres to bring relief goods. The need for water was quickly indentified to be a priority. Soon, the need for makeshift latrines was also deemed a priority, especially in the overcrowded evacuation centres. As of Monday 4PM, 656 dead bodies had been retrieved, hundreds were still reported missing and almost 47,000 people had been displaced and brought to evacuation centres. Funeral parlours in the City were running out of coffins and embalming fluids. Already, dead bodies were sprawled in the streets outside the parlours and the neighbouring residences were complaining of the foul smell of dead bodies. The majority of the dead bodies were that of children, women and elderly, while many persons with disabilities were unaccounted for, which shows the toll taken on vulnerable groups... In an initial ocular survey made by our volunteers, 225 adults and children with disabilities were identified in the evacuation centres. Reports from the local Federation of Persons with Disabilities Associations indicated that a number of their members were still missing and 11 confirmed dead. It is expected that in the area, 2,000 to 4,000 persons with disabilities have been affected by the disaster.’ Related article
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.jpg "Chaos and horror after the storm")
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