MANILA, Philippines — Rescuers raced yesterday to reach residents stranded by fast-rising floodwaters after torrential rains from Severe Tropical Storm Kristine submerged villages and left up to 26 people dead.

Schools and government offices were shuttered across Luzon as the storm made landfall in Isabela yesterday morning after first leaving a trail of destruction in the Bicol region.

“The rain is not stopping, so the floods are going up fast. We have received countless reports asking for rescue,” Batangas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officer April Serrano said.

A hospital in the town of Lemery, Batangas was forced to turn away patients as its wards and emergency rooms were flooded, according to the provincial health office.

On Luzon’s western coast, a surge warning was raised in Pangasinan at around 2 p.m., with officials estimating waves could reach as high as two meters.

In the hardest-hit areas of Naga City and Nabua municipality in Bicol, rescuers were using boats to reach residents stranded on rooftops.

“They are seeking assistance through (Facebook) posts and that’s how we learned about them,” Bicol police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib said.

Over 30,000 people were forced to evacuate in Bicol on Wednesday, police said, as “unexpectedly high” flooding turned streets into rivers.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist Lorie dela Cruz said a month’s worth of rain had been dumped in Bicol within a 24-hour window from 8 a.m. on Oct. 22 until the next morning, with Camarines Sur and Legazpi City in Albay particularly hard hit.

“As of 7 a.m., we have 20 dead (throughout the Bicol region),” Bicol police chief Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon said, attributing most of the deaths to drowning and landslides.

Of the reported deaths, seven were from Naga City, five in Catanduanes, four in Albay and one each in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Masbate.

In Quezon province, an elderly woman drowned, while a toddler was also killed after falling into a flooded canal, police said. In Planas, Masbate one person was killed by a falling tree branch, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

However, data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) placed the confirmed fatalities at seven individuals, six of them from Bicol. Seven missing persons were also recorded, five from Bicol and one each for the Ilocos region and Calabarzon.

On Thursday, rescuers were forced to halt the search for a missing fisherman after a boat sank in the waters off Bulacan province.

A fisherman in Barangay Poro in San Feranando La Union was also reported missing, authorities said.

Marcos’ schedule

President Marcos did not have a public engagement yesterday as various parts of Luzon experienced heavy rains and floods due to Kristine.

Asked about Marcos’ schedule, Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez said the President had a “face-to-face” meeting with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

On Wednesday, Marcos led a situation briefing on the effects of Kristine in Camp Aguinaldo and directed agencies to coordinate with each other to ensure the immediate delivery of aid in inundated areas. He also instructed agencies to dispatch water purifiers to affected areas.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has assured the public that all resources of the government are being mobilized to help victims affected by severe tropical storm Kristine.

Remulla said that the President has ordered to “provide all possible support to local government units” who faced the onslaught of the tropical cyclone.

“His instructions were, all means possible get to them as quick as possible,” he said on PTV.

Remulla noted that the Department of Public Works and Highways has a 100 percent deployment rate to clear out roads following Kristine’s passage.

The head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that they are working toward the rescue, relief and recovery of those affected by Kristine.

Marcos directed the DILG to ramp up preparations for the provision of emergency field hospitals and medicines, especially in Naga and other affected areas.

“PBBM’s marching orders are clear: work with utmost urgency and compassion, to rescue those in danger, provide relief for all affected, and make efforts towards the restoration of basic services in all affected areas,” Remulla added.

Meanwhile, Cavite province has declared a state of calamity due to Kristine.

Gov. Athena Tolentino declared the state of calamity yesterday following Kristine’s passage.

Affected families

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, Bicol is the most storm-affected region (1.67 million persons or 345,548 families), according to the Office of Civil Defense.

It was followed by Eastern Visayas (528,103 persons or 138,201 families), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (433,940 persons or 88,893 families), Soccsksargen (78,075 persons or 19,531 families) and Mimaropa (35,334 persons or 9,286 families).

Some 299 roads and bridges in affected regions have also been affected with power interruptions reported in 114 different cities and municipalities mostly in the Bicol region.

The NDRRMC said 5,980 passengers, 1.351 rolling cargoes, 106 vessels, and 12 motor bancas are stranded in various affected provinces, mostly in Bicol and in Eastern Visayas.

More than a thousand houses were also reported damaged in the Ilocos, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga, BARMM and CAR.

In Batangas, around 9,000 individuals fled from various towns and cities due to severe flooding and have been relocated to designated evacuation centers in Lemery, Balayan, Mataasnakahoy, Balete, San Juan, Taal, Cuenca, Sta. Teresita, San Luis, Mabini, Calatagan, Alitagtag, Lobo, Nasugbu, Tuy, and the cities of Lipa, Batangas, Sto. Tomas and Calaca.

The NDRRMC said more than P21.5 million worth of assistance which include food and non-food items and other basic needs has been provided to the 7,088 affected families.

2 vessels hit Batangas port

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is investigating the incidents involving two vessels that hit the port of Batangas during the onslaught of Kristine and will file charges against those liable for them.

PPA General Manager Mark Palomar said Super Shuttle 2 broke anchor yesterday and authorities could not find its captain when the incident was reported.

The other incident involved oil tanker Cassandra, which was seized by the customs bureau last week for transferring unmarked fuel. Palomar said the vessel was tied to the dock but there was a request to move it because of the upcoming storm.

Palomar said Kristine has caused damage in the Port of Bulan in Sorsogon, the Port of Pio Duran in Albay and the PPA’s base port in Legazpi.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) facilities in Bicol were not spared from the wrath of Kristine.

Since Oct. 22, train journeys at the PNR have been suspended, as rail management reported that some tracks and stations were flooded.

Some PNR employees were also left trapped inside trains that were inundated in the PNR’s Naga station, according to photos shared to ABS-CBN News. The surrounding area of the station was submerged in flood that reached the roofs of some houses.

Meanwhile, the PNR’s engineering personnel is still assessing the potential damage sustained by the trains, stations and other PNR facilities in the Bicol region.

Negros agricultural damage

Tropical Cyclone Kristine left behind trail of destruction in Negros Occidental, with an initial P1.7 million in damage to crops and fisheries, while 932 families were affected by flash floods in seven local government units.

Negros Occidental also remains on blue alert status, due to strong gale force winds, although flooding in 10 areas of Sipalay, Bago, Cadiz and Sagay cities has already subsided, while landslide areas in Brgy. Nabulao, Sipalay City, have been cleared.

As of noon of Oct. 24, there are still 232 families, composed of 762 persons, occupying the different Negros Occidental evacuation centers, including highly urbanized Bacolod City. Classes have also remained suspended in Negros Occidental.

Meanwhile, Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando has suspended face-to-face classes in all levels, both public and private, in the province today. School officials were ordered to conduct online classes or modular distance learning mode.

Cancelled flights

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific cancelled on Thursday 74 domestic flights especially in the Bicol region due to Kristine.

Some 11,000 passengers or more are affected by the cancellation due to Kristine as airlines prioritized safety first.

Telco restores services

Leading telco Globe Telecom Inc. said it started restoration work in parts of Visayas that experienced service disruption.

As of yesterday morning, Globe has successfully restored call, text and data services in some sites that experienced service disruptions due to power outages in the provinces of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar and Southern Leyte.

Less than six percent of Globe sites in the Visayas experienced weather-related outages. The restoration efforts will commence in storm-hit provinces across Luzon as soon as ground conditions permit.

Globe said it was ready to deploy Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging and Libreng WiFi stations to provide communications support in severely affected areas. –  AFP, Artemio Dumlao, Miriam Desacadaditowins, Bella Cariaso, Alexis Romero, Ghio Ong, Gilbert Bayoran, Rainier Allan Ronda, Arnell Ozaeta, Romina Cabrera

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