World | Philippines
Manila cleans up after storm
The government is racing against time to restore normality in Metro Manila areas ravaged by Typhoon Xangsane that wreaked havoc in the Philippines.
- By Gilbert Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 October 1, 2006
- Public transport workers remove tree branches that block rail tracks as the capital slowly picks up the pieces in Manila after the devastation brought by typhoon Xangsane.
- Image Credit: AP
Manila: The government is racing against time to restore normality in Metro Manila areas ravaged by Typhoon Xangsane that wreaked havoc in the Philippines.
"We have to effect rapid normalisation in Metro Manila and other areas," President Gloria Arroyo said as she convened the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) yesterday, two days after Xangsane left the Philippines.
Considered as one of the worse typhoons to hit Metro Manila in more than a decade, Xangsane's 130km/h winds toppled giant billboards, hurled away trucks, flung away roofs and uprooted nearly a third of the trees in the capital region on Friday during the height of its fury.
During the meeting at the palace yesterday, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila assured that "food supply is adequate and prices of prime commodities remain stable."
The official issued the assurance amidst fears of panic buying from the public. Favila reported queues of people at gas stations and hotels to buy commodities to accommodate guests from areas still without power.
Panic buying
"We should tell the public they don't have to stock up. Within the next few hours that should normalise," he said.
Since Xangsane left government and the power utility Meralco rushed to restore electrical power in some 80 per cent of Metro Manila area which had been affected by the blackout.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Jesus Francisco, president and chief executive officer Meralco, reported that the power firm is doing everything possible to restore power to all parts of Metro Manila by midnight today.
Power disruptions caused by the typhoon had also forced suspension of the operation of two of Metro Manila's three train services the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit.
Track clearing operations had also been hampered by the gigantic advertising billboards that fell during the onslaught of the typhoon.
Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the president was concerned over the impact of a prolonged power shutdown on businesses, health facilities, household and schools in the affected areas and called for government-private sector cooperation in restoring electricity at the earliest possible.
Safety issues
The president is "aware of the safety issues involved and she wants government-private teams to clean up the debris, put up the downed posts, restore the lines and get the power going soonest", Bunye said in a statement.
"The government's focus is to provide relief to the victims, to check prices of basic commodities and rehabilitate damaged farms where the impact on livelihood is worst," Bunye said.
Attempt to evacuate 150,000 people
Vietnam raced yesterday to evacuate more than 150,000 people before the arrival of Typhoon Xangsane, which was bearing down on the coast after leaving 130 people dead or missing in the Philippines.
Vietnam's national meteorological centre said strong winds were expected later last evening, while a flood and storm official said the typhoon would hit overnight in the early hours of today.
Officials are especially keen to avoid a repeat of a typhoon in May, when hundreds of people were killed or went missing as dozens of boats disappeared at sea in what was seen as a failure of the nation's storm-response system.
"We are getting prepared," said Truong Ngoc Nhi, deputy chairman of the people's committee in the central province of Quang Ngai. "By late yesterday, we will have evacuated thousands of people to safer areas."
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said the government had undertaken its biggest-ever mobilisation of emergency resources "to fight this typhoon efficiently and minimise losses".
Nine coastal provinces which are expected to be directly hit will evacuate more than 152,000 people, according to the website of the central committee for flood and storm control.
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