Philippines: Five towns flooded ahead of Typhoon Koppu landfall

Manila: Overflowing creeks and a river marooned five villages in a town in Isabela, in northern Luzon, before the landfall of Typhoon Koppu on Sunday. The grade four hurricane accompanied by heavy rainfall threatens to inundate vast areas of northern Luzon, 450 kilometres north of Metro Manila, sources said.

“Towns of Bannawag, Dumawing, Minuri, Napaliong, and Sto. Domingo in Jones town, Isabela were isolated at six Saturday afternoon because two bridges connecting Dumawing and Sto. Domingo towns were submerged when the Dibulan River overflowed. Torrential rains made parts of the Baler-Casiguran road impassable,” Senator Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, who is from Baler, told Gulf News.

Wide swathes of the east coast of northern Luzon’s Isabela were inundated ahead of Koppu’s landfall early on Sunday, said Angara.

Local government officials on the east coast of Baler Bay in Aurora continued preparations as the storm approached, said Senator Angara, adding that residents and local government officials had stockpiled supplies because Koppu is expected to centre around northern Luzon until Tuesday.

“As of Friday, political campaigns stopped in all areas in the region. Residents, including 2,000 tourists were told to leave coastal areas. Shanties in low lying areas were tied. Sea vessels, planes, and buses were halted before the arrival of Typhoon Koppu, in northern Luzon. There was an early preparation,” Philippine Undersecretary Alexander Pama, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told Gulf News.

Local government officials have been preparing for a worst-case scenario such as extensive flooding, uprooted trees, damage to houses and buildings, and two-metre high storm surges, said Pama. “The social welfare department has mobilised relief assistance for 7.5 million residents to be affected in northern Luzon,” he said.

About 15 million Filipinos live in northern Luzon.

Before its landfall on Sunday, Typhoon Koppu gathered strength with wind speeds ranging from 195 to 210 kilometre per hour. The storm is predicted to dump 600 milimetre of rain per hour in direct hit areas, with 900mm to 1,000mm in mountainous areas, Pagasa, the state-run weather station said on Saturday.

Typhoon Koppu was predicted to move north after entering Isabela and Baler, leaving the southeast part of its 550-kilometre wide radius of rain touching Metro Manila with 250mm of rain per hour, said Pagasa, adding it could also cause flooding in Metro Manila.

Typhoon Koppu is expected to weaken in 48 to 60 hours after Sunday, said Pagasa.

The Philippines faces about 21 typhoons on average each year.