Typhoon Devastates Lockdown Wary Philippines

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – A Christian woman was among many fearfully hiding Friday as parts of the Philippines were devastated by winds and rain from Typhoon Vongfong. “It is always scary,” Virgie Overdevest told Worthy News. “We already had a minor earthquake here.”

The teacher and mother of one anxiously followed reports that hundreds of homes and coronavirus isolation facilities were damaged in the typhoon that also killed at least one person.

Most of the damage was in Eastern Samar province, where the typhoon slammed ashore, said Governor Ben Evardone. “The damage I saw was pervasive. The roof of one church was ripped off completely, its iron bars twisted badly by the typhoon.”

Besides damage to buildings, rice and corn fields were destroyed in five hard-hit eastern towns, he told media. Desperate residents wept after their houses were damaged or blown away in towns he inspected. One villager who lost his home slashed his wrist but was treated in time, the governor explained.

The typhoon added to anxiety in a nation where millions have been in one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. It was to be eased this weekend, except in metropolitan Manila and two other high-risk areas.

The rest of the country was to be placed in less restrictive quarantine, and crucial businesses will partially reopen starting next week. The Philippines has reported more than 12,000 cases, including 806 deaths, among the highest in Southeast Asia.

Fear of the coronavirus hampered rescue efforts as authorities ordered rescue workers to wear masks and protective suits. They were not allowed to transport villagers to shelters in large numbers as a safeguard against the virus.

In the outlying region of Bicol, northwest of Eastern Samar, more than 145,000 people still managed to ride out the weakening typhoon in emergency shelters.

Vongfong weakened into a severe tropical storm after hitting land and was blowing northwest toward the populous main northern island of Luzon, government forecasters said.

Its maximum sustained wind speed dropped to 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour with gusts of 150 kph (93 mph). But the weather reportedly remained dangerous, especially in coastal and low-lying villages. Vongfong was due to blow out of the country’s north on Sunday, reports said.

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