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It’s been two weeks since typhoon Durian crashed through the central part of the Philippines severely damaging the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Marinduque and Catanduanes on November 30. The province of Albay was hit with the highest casualty/missing list, as hundreds of tons of lahar and volcanic debris were swept down from the slopes of Mayon volcano and buried entire villages in its path. Bamboo and thatched roof homes, as well as adobe and concrete structures were no match for Durian’s winds of up to 230kph which blew through the area for nearly a whole day (as compared to typhoon Milenyo’s two hours onslaught in Manila), and its 466 millimetres of rainfall. Communication links to most of the area has been severely incapacitated. Legazpi City, Albay and its immediate surrounding areas have been able to get mobile networks running while the others are still very spotty at best. It’ll be a dark holiday season as utilities attempt to repair fallen power and telephone lines. Hundreds are homeless: over 330,000 people in Camarines Sur alone; other sources are quoting nearly 1.54 miliion people have been affected – mostly in the Bicol region.
In Albay province, provincial authorities are focusing on taking care of those who survived the onslaught. Casualty/missing count may reach the thousand mark – with many remaining unidentified or missing as hundreds have been swept away by floods or buried under several feet of lahar. UNICEF, Red Cross, international donors have stepped in to help with relief efforts.
However, much more needs to be done for the long term as relief transitions into rehabilitation/reconstruction. Over 2000 schools have been damaged and their books/learning materials destroyed. Affected individiuals who survived just barely made it with the clothes on their backs, but their source of income (farming) have been buried under mud and volcanic debris or just simply blown away.We are nearing the end of the Philippines’ typhoon season. While in Albay last week, people prayed that not another typhoon would hit. Two days ago typhoon Utor came through and thankfully it was nowhere near as ferocious at Durian. It headed south of the Bicol region, it managed to cancel the ASEAN summit, and it managed to cause damage to the tourist island of Boracay. Being one of the prime tourist attraction for the country, Boracay is well stocked with generators and people motivated to clean up to gear up for holiday makers. Not so the case with Bicol and the areas hit by Durian.
