Storm signals have gone down, except in Batanes province, but don’t leave home without an umbrella or raincoat just yet.The weather bureau on Thursday downgraded storm signals across the country, leaving only the Batanes Group of Islands in the extreme north under Storm Signal No. 1, as Typhoon “Gener” made its exit and headed toward Taiwan.
The typhoon left at least 26 people dead and forced 180,000 to flee their homes in Metro Manila and 27 central and northern provinces.
The Coast Guard and other disaster-response groups reported having rescued 125 people from stricken sea vessels and flooded villages, according to Benito Ramos, the head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The death toll from Gener rose to 26 Thursday after two persons died from being hit by falling trees in Bohol, and a girl drowned in Ilocos Sur, the NDRRMC said.
Ramos identified the latest victims as Fernando Rellon Jr. and Jury Betaganzo. “They were hit by falling ipil-ipil trees,” he said.
Venice Sinopen, a Grade 3 pupil who drowned in San Ramon, Ilocos Sur province, was among the 12 new deaths reported to the NDRRMC Thursday, Ramos said.
“There were no classes and she might have gone swimming,” Ramos said.
There were three other drowning victims—Angelito Bicoy of Quezon, and Efren Salvacion and Patrick de la Rosa of Bulacan—and five other deaths from falling trees—Mary Jane Lima of Negros Occidental, Madeline Caminade of Iloilo City, Emilia and Andrei Pasugiron of Negros Oriental, and Augusto Campo of Misamis Oriental.
Gener left at least P2.13 million in damaged infrastructure and agricultural crops. “This figure could go up further,” Ramos said.
The NDRRMC said Gener also affected 331,588 people, 12,000 of them seeking shelter in 61 evacuation centers.
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Weather in Philippines | Philippine Storm
