Highlights
- Typhoon Koppu weakens to a tropical storm as it slowly approaches the northern tip of Luzon island, with heavy to intense rains.
- Parts of Pangasinan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pampanga and Zambales provinces are flooded with flood waters in Nueva Ecija reaching as high as 1.8 m.
- The Government leads search and rescue, relief and debris clearance operations across seven affected regions.
- Some 104,300 people have evacuated of which 55,600 people are in 255 evacuation centres.
- The Government reiterated that it is not seeking international assistance at this time although targeted support provided with in-country resources is welcome.
104,300 Evacuees
55,600 People in evacuation centres
255 Evacuation centres
48,700 People evacuated with relatives and friends
100-200 mm accumulated rainfall in a day
24 Affected provinces
Situation Overview
A major emergency response operation is underway in seven regions on the Luzon island as torrential rains of the slow-moving Typhoon Koppu (known locally as Lando) caused massive flooding along its path.
The typhoon weakened to a severe tropical storm by 19 October, 5 p.m. local time, as it crossed the island and moved along the western seaboard of the Ilocos Region (Region I), according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA). The storm is near Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province with maximum sustained winds of 105 kph and gusts of up to 135 kph. It is forecast to move north northeast at 5 kph, then out to sea in the morning of 20 October, which is sooner than projected at the time of the last report.
Typhoon Koppu brought heavy to intense rains in its 600 km diameter. Areas in Central Luzon (Region III) recorded between 100-200 mm rainfall in a day on 18 October, with some registering more than half of their average monthly rainfall. Parts of provinces of Pangasinan (Region I), Isabela (Region II), Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pampanga and Zambales (Region III) were flooded on 18 and 19 October with flood waters in Nueva Ecija reaching as high as 1.8 m. Six municipalities in Pangasinan were affected by flash-floods.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported three deaths (a woman, man and a boy), five injuries (three women and two boys) and a man missing so far. Some 104,300 people (22,000 families) have evacuated and are assisted across Regions I, II, III, IV-A and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), of which about 55,600 people (12,100 families) are in 255 evacuation centres managed by local authorities and another 48,700 people (9,900 families) are with relatives and friends. Eighty-four of the evacuation centres are schools.
The extent of the damage became clearer as communications systems began to be restored. The NDRRMC reported that the typhoon destroyed 3 houses and partially damaged 53 houses in the provinces of La Union (Region I), Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya (Region II) and Aurora (Region III). However, power is intermittent in Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan provinces (Region I) and the municipalities of Dilasag, Casiguran and Dinalungan in Aurora are still without cellular signal. Thirty-six road sections and 18 bridges are not passable due to flooding and landslides while four municipalities in Kalinga province (CAR) are isolated due to landslides and rockslides. The full extent of the damage is still unknown, and in particular, the damage to the agriculture sector.
More than 6,200 passengers, 59 vessels, 54 motor boats and 273 rolling cargoes remained stranded in ports while 16 domestic flights were cancelled on 19 October. Government offices except front line service providers and response agencies were closed and classes remained suspended in affected areas.
The local governments of Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija, San Carlos City in Pangasinan and Ilagan City in Isabela declared a state of calamity due to the damage caused by the typhoon. This allows the local authorities to utilize their calamity fund for recovery and relief programmes.
The PAGASA warned that rain waters from three major mountain ranges will continue to flow down to the flat plains in Central Luzon for a day or two. Evacuees from these areas were advised not to return home despite the improvement in weather until the severity of the flooding becomes clearer in the coming days. Public Storm Warning Signals have been downgraded but are still in effect in 20 provinces.
The rains from Typhoon Koppu provided much needed water to several dams reeling from the effects of a strong El Niño. The water level in the Angat Dam, which supplies most of Metro Manila’s water needs, increased by 7.2 m.