Category 1 Typhoon Hits Philippine Mainland

Published : July 14, 2010 :: 17:07:42 [ 1,562 views ]

The category one Typhoon Conson hit the Philippine mainland of Luzon on Tuesday. At least four people have been confirmed dead, while a further 19 fisherman are missing. The death toll is expected to rise once the extent of the destruction has been investigated further.

Philippines, the 14^th of July 2010: The severe storm, packing gusts of up to 120kph, struck late on Tuesday destroying several villages on the coast of Luzon, near Manilla. The extent of destruction is not yet known with many communications systems having been affected by the storm.

In Manilla, the overhead railway system has been shutdown due to a power outage, which has subsequently brought much of the city to a standstill. The typhoon has now blown past the island of Luzon and into the South China Sea. Numerous inward and outbound flights were cancelled or delayed because of the severe weather.

The Philippines lie in the so-called “typhoon belt” in the western Pacific, where up to 20 cyclones occur every year. Typhoon Conson was the first severe storm of 2010.

Newly elected president, Benigno Aquino criticised the state weather service for not giving resident’s adequate warning regarding the storm. “This is not acceptable,” Aquino told red-faced weather service officials at an emergency meeting of rescue agencies. “We rely on you to tell us where the potential problems are.”

Allegedly, Manila was warned regarding the storm, but that it would strike the Northern provinces rather than the city itself. The fact that the storm had a potential radius of some 300km was omitted from the bulletin.

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