Typhoon kills more than 436 in southern Philippines (Reuters)

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (Reuters) – More than 400 people were killed and an unknown number were missing after a typhoon struck the southern Philippines, causing flash floods and landslides and driving tens of thousands from their homes.

In a text message to Reuters, Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), said the death toll of 436 was expected to rise.

"Our death toll was based on the actual number of bodies that were brought to funeral homes in the two cities that were the hardest hit by the typhoon," Pang said, adding it was difficult to estimate how many were still unaccounted for.

Typhoon Washi, with winds gusting up to 90 kmh (56 mph), barreled into the resource-rich island of Mindanao late on Friday, bringing heavy rain that also grounded some domestic flights and left wide areas without power.

Emergency workers, soldiers and police were recovering more bodies - most covered in mud - washed ashore in nearby towns.

Pang said nearly 360 bodies had been found in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and about 50 in four other southern provinces. The government's official death toll stood only at 131 people and nearly 270 missing.

Another 21 people drowned on the central island of Negros, the PNRC said.

Hundreds were also unaccounted for, most of them from a coastal village in Iligan. Houses were swept into the sea by floodwaters while people were sleeping inside late on Friday.

The Philippines social welfare department said about 100,000 people were displaced and brought to nearly three dozen

shelters in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

"WE RAN FOR OUR LIVES"

Army spokesman Colonel Leopoldo Galon said search and rescue operations would continue along the shorelines in Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte provinces.

"I can't explain how these things happened, entire villages were swept to the sea by flash floods," Galon said.

"I have not seen anything like this before. This could be worse than Ondoy," he said, referring to a 2009 storm that inundated the capital, Manila, killing hundreds of people.

Television pictures showed bodies encased in mud, cars piled on top of each other and wrecked homes. Helicopters and boats searched the sea for survivors and victims.

"We ran for our lives when we heard a loud whistle blow and was followed by a big bang," Michael Mabaylan, 38, a carpenter, told Reuters. He said his wife and five children were all safe.

Aid worker Crislyn Felisilda cited concern about children who had became separated from their families or lost their parents. "Many children are looking for their loved ones... (and children were) crying and staring into space."

Rosal Agacac, a 40-year-old mother, was begging authorities to help find her two children after their shanty was swept to the sea. "Please President Noynoy, help me," she cried, holding a candle at a spot where their house stood before the floods, referring to President Benigno Aquino.

Aquino met with cabinet members and disaster officials to assess conditions on the main southern island and ordered a review of disaster plans to avoid a repeat of the tragedy. He is due to inspect typhoon-hit areas after Christmas.

Rescue boats pulled at least 15 people from the sea, said another army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang.

Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz said many people were caught by surprise when water rose one meter (three feet) high in less

than an hour, forcing people onto roofs. "Most of them were already sleeping when floodwaters entered their homes. This is the worst flooding our city has experienced in years."

The national disaster agency said it could not estimate crop and property damage because emergency workers, including soldiers and police officers, were evacuating families and recovering casualties.

Six domestic flights run by Cebu Pacific were cancelled due to the rain and near-zero visibility in the southern and central

Philippines. Ferry services were also halted, stranding hundreds of people.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year.

(Writing by Manny Mogato)

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Typhoon Nesat hits HK, closing financial markets (Reuters)

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A typhoon swept past Hong Kong on Thursday, closing markets, schools and most businesses in one of Asia's most important financial centers.

Government offices and schools are expected to remain closed for the rest of the day as Typhoon Nesat makes its way past Hong Kong en route to south China, after passing through the Philippines where it left at least 35 dead and 45 missing.

"Nesat is closest to Hong Kong now," the observatory said in a statement. "Gale winds are expected to persist over Hong Kong."

The Hong Kong Observatory's No.8 typhoon warning signal will remain in effect for most of the day, it said on its website. That means the city's financial markets will continue to be closed for the afternoon session.

Earlier, the Hong Kong stock exchange had said trade may resume if the signal is canceled by 0400 GMT.

Hong Kong has a series of different typhoon warnings. Schools, businesses and government services stop when any No.8 or above typhoon warning is hoisted.

As of 0245 GMT, Nesat was centered about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of Hong Kong, which saw winds of up to 121 kilometers per hour. The tropical cyclone on Tuesday hit the Philippines, where it also caused an estimated 100.3 million pesos ($2.3 million) in damage to agriculture.

No deaths were reported in Hong Kong, but local television showed footage of at least two people who were hospitalized after being hit by falling debris as a result of strong winds.

A ship weighing 1,677 deadweight tonnes ran aground in the early hours of Thursday morning, but there were no injuries, the Hong Kong Marine Department said.

EMPTY STREETS, ANGRY TOURISTS

Tropical cyclones regularly hit Hong Kong, the Philippines and other coastal regions of south China in summer and early in autumn.

Usually crowded streets were devoid of people as its iconic tram system stopped operations and the subway and bus systems cut trips. Trees fallen by strong winds blocked some roads, while taxis still plying the roads asked for extra fare.

Hong Kong's dominant airline Cathay Pacific said all its flights operating to and from the city were operating as normal. The Hong Kong International Airport's website showed at least 40 departing flights were delayed.

Ferry terminals that link Hong Kong to Macau, south China and outlying islands were also closed, the territory's government said in a statement.

Local television footage showed angry tourists gathered at the Hong Kong-Macau ferry terminal, with some waiting in despair while others crowded around ticket counters asking for their money back.

Neighboring Macau was also affected, with schools and businesses at the former Portuguese colony closed.

(Additional reporting by Alison Leung; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)

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Philippines counts cost after Typhoon Nesat departs (Reuters)

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines on Wednesday began tallying the damage bill from powerful Typhoon Nesat, which killed at least 21 people and left behind flooded towns, overflowing dams and damage to rice crops across northern Luzon island.

As the typhoon moved over the South China Sea toward northern Vietnam and southern China, Manila said efforts to find dozens of people still missing were being hindered by bad weather.

Financial markets, government offices and some schools reopened after being closed by the typhoon, and train services resumed after power supplies were restored in the capital. However, some flights were again canceled on Wednesday.

The Department of Agriculture said initial estimates put crop damage, mainly of rice, at about $16 million, while the disaster agency put infrastructure damage at around $1.7 million.

Crop damage included 33,890 tonnes of rice from 56,421 hectares affected in five regions, including the key rice growing Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon regions.

The Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon together were expected to account for just under one-third of national rice output in the fourth quarter.

The National Food Authority said it had sufficient stocks to cover the losses, with 2.5 million tonnes of rice, equal to 75 days of demand, in its warehouses.

The central bank said crop damage and supply problems caused by the typhoon could increase prices temporarily.

"In case of inflationary impact, this would at worst be one off," Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told Reuters.

The government had cut rice imports this year to about 860,000 tonnes from a record 2.45 million tonnes in 2010, and plans to make the country self-sufficient in its national staple in coming years.

Major damage to crops could have forced Manila to buy from international markets at a time when rice prices are rising.

"We are still on the right track," Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at a senate hearing when asked about rice output given the typhoon damage.

He said the initial damage was about 0.6 percent of estimated fourth-quarter rice output of 6.5 million tonnes.

WIDESPREAD DAMAGE

Across Luzon, the Philippines' main island, flooding, storm surges and strong winds caused great amounts of damage. Some provincial towns were still flooded and without power on Wednesday.

There were still nearly 48,000 people in evacuation centers on Wednesday morning, the disaster agency said, adding authorities were inspecting roads closed by debris and cut by landslides in the northern mountain region.

The sea wall at Manila Bay was badly damaged by storm surges, which swamped Roxas Boulevard and other waterfront areas, keeping the U.S. embassy shut again on Wednesday.

Francis Tolentino, head of the Metro Manila Development Authority, said it would take more than a week to clean up, with the priority on restoring power supply and communication lines.

"There's so much work to be done to rebuild dykes and the sea wall, as well as fix the houses destroyed in coastal areas," Tolentino told Reuters, adding some areas remain flooded.

As Nesat, packing center winds of 130 kph (80 mph) with gustiness of up to 150 kph, departed, weather officials warned another was developing in the Pacific Ocean that could pick up strength and become a typhoon as it approaches north Luzon.

"Our initial track line shows it may hit northern Luzon. But it may be too early to tell because it might still change course," Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said.

(Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by John Mair and Sugita Katyal)

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Typhoon arrives in China after hitting Philippines (AP)

HONG KONG – A powerful typhoon arrived in southern China on Thursday after skirting Hong Kong and bringing death and widespread flooding to the Philippines earlier this week.

Typhoon Nesat made landfall on the eastern tip of China's Hainan island at 2:30 p.m., the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Hainan authorities closed schools, suspended ferry services and recalled fishing boats as the storm made its way across the South China Sea from the Philippines, where it killed 35 people and left another 45 missing.

Some 67 flights were canceled at the island's two airports, Xinhua said.

The storm swept past Hong Kong earlier in the day, forcing the stock market to suspend trading and shops and businesses to close but causing little damage. The Asian financial center's normally bustling streets were eerily quiet, with few people venturing outside to brave the rain and fierce winds.

Two people were injured when bamboo scaffolding was blown over and collapsed onto a taxi, while a man was injured by a falling tree, local broadcaster RTHK said. A barge ripped free from its moorings in the rough seas slammed into a seawall on Hong Kong Island, forcing some nearby apartments to be evacuated, news reports said.

Local broadcaster Cable TV showed footage of tour groups from mainland China who were stranded after cross-border ferry services were suspended. At Hong Kong's airport, 245 flights were delayed, 20 were canceled and 22 diverted to other airports.

The storm came within 220 miles (350 kilometers) of Hong Kong in the morning before moving away, the Hong Kong Observatory said. It lowered its gale-force wind warning by late afternoon.

The National Meteorological Center reported that fishing boats were in port and schools along the coast had been shut in advance of the typhoon, which is the 17th and likely the strongest to hit Hainan this year.

Nesat left devastation in the Philippines, triggering some of the worst flooding in downtown Manila in decades.

Floodwaters were receding in most places, but many low-lying communities in the north remained in crisis.

Mayor Santiago Austria of the rice-farming town of Jaen in Nueva Ecija province appealed to the government for help, saying many people in his community of 63,000 needed to be rescued but that officials there had only four rescue boats.

"Many people here are still on top of their houses. We don't have enough boats to reach them and hand them food," Austria said.

In all, nearly 500,000 people were affected by the typhoon in the northern Philippines, of which about 170,000 were forced to flee their homes and were in various evacuation centers. The government estimated damage to farms and infrastructure at 1.15 billion pesos ($26 million).

Meanwhile, a new tropical storm was brewing in the Pacific, Philippine government forecaster Bobby Javier said, adding that it already had sustained winds of 52 mph (85 kph) and gusts up to 62 mph (100 kph) and was expected to strengthen significantly before hitting major parts of the country in the next few days.

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Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

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Philippines evacuates 100,000 as typhoon Nesat nears (Reuters)

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in flood and landslide-prone parts of the main island of Luzon as Typhoon Nesat gathered speed and strength ahead of its expected landfall early on Tuesday.

Six fishermen were reported missing on Monday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said, adding about 50,000 people are now in temporary shelters in the central Albay province.

Nesat was expected to hit the rice- and corn-growing provinces of Aurora and Isabela in the north on Tuesday, crossing mountain regions before exiting via the northwestern Ilocos provinces, weather forecaster Robert Sawi told reporters.

Packing winds of 130 kph (80 mph) with gusts of up to 160 kph, Nesat was 260 km (161 miles) east by southeast of Casiguran town in northern Aurora province, moving west by northwest at 19 kph.

Flights to the central region were suspended, and schools in the capital Manila closed in the afternoon in response to heavy rains and strong winds brought by Nesat, which is expected to intensify to a category 3 typhoon with winds of around 200 kmh (125 mph)

The disaster agency said hundreds of motorists and ferry passengers were stranded in ports, while soldiers and rescue workers were put on alert to help move residents to safety from areas at risk of flood and landslide.

Nesat, known locally as Pedring, could cause landslides, flash floods and storm surges in coastal areas, Sawi said.

"We've raised the typhoon alerts due to strong winds and rain that could uproot trees and topple communications and power lines," he said.

Graciano Yumul, head of the weather bureau, said 25 ml per hour of rainfall was expected, less than half the amount dumped in 2009 by Ketsana, which submerged large parts of the capital and killed hundreds.

(Reporting By Manny Mogato; Editing by John Mair and Sanjeev Miglani)

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AP EXCLUSIVE: Aquino confident in typhoon response (AP)

TOKYO – Philippine President Benigno Aquino III says he's confident that disaster management authorities in his country are adequately responding to flooding from a typhoon that has submerged entire sections of metropolitan Manila.

Aquino says he believes that power will be restored to most of the Philippine capital by Tuesday afternoon.

Aquino was in Japan for a four-day state visit.

At least seven people have been killed by Typhoon Nesat, the worst storm to hit the Asian nation since a 2009 cyclone killed nearly 500 people.

Aquino told The Associated Press that "it's a fact of life" that the country is visited by 23 typhoons every year on average.

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10 dead after strong typhoon hits Philippines (AP)

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Nanmadol began blowing toward Taiwan on Sunday after leaving at least 10 people dead and scuttling a visit by a U.S. Navy carrier group in the Philippines, officials said.

Taiwan issued sea and land warnings and planned to evacuate about 6,000 people in its eastern and southern regions as it braced for the typhoon. Troops and rescue equipment were deployed, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said.

With its enormous cloud band, the typhoon drenched the northern Philippines with rain for days before pummeling the area with fierce wind, setting off landslides and floods and toppling walls that left at least 10 people dead and six others missing. About 20 were injured by landslides and toppled trees, said Benito Ramos, who heads the Office of Civil Defense.

Strong winds knocked down a concrete wall which hit a small eatery in the capital's suburban Quezon City on Sunday, killing a man and injuring two others, police said.

In the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, a garbage dump's concrete wall collapsed and buried three shanties under tons of garbage Saturday, killing two children. Their grandmother remained missing, Ramos said.

Seven others perished in landslides or drowned, including a fisherman whose body was found floating Saturday off eastern Catanduanes province. A decision by many villagers to flee to safety before the typhoon struck and vigilance helped reduce the number of casualties, Ramos said.

In northern Benguet province, bus driver Reynaldo Carlos ordered his passengers to flee Saturday after seeing mud, debris and boulders surging down a mountainside toward the vehicle, which was stuck on a muddy road.

The bus, its engine still running, was swept down a 200-foot (60-meter) ravine after everyone escaped, officials said.

"I was trembling with fear after I realized how close we were to death," Carlos told The Associated Press by telephone.

About 20 landslides blocked roads in Benguet, a gold-mining region about 130 miles (210 kilometers) north of Manila. More than 57,000 villagers fled their homes there and in 10 other northern provinces at the height of the typhoon, officials said.

U.S. officials postponed a Manila visit by the U.S. Navy's John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group originally scheduled for this weekend because of the bad weather.

The U.S. Embassy said all tours of the aircraft carrier, as well as a reception on board, had been canceled.

Domestic airlines also canceled more than a dozen flights to areas affected by the typhoon in the northern and central Philippines.

Nanmadol had sustained wind of 121 miles (195 kilometers) per hour and gusts of 143 mph (230 kph) Friday, becoming the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines so far this year. It weakened after grazing northern Cagayan province Saturday. It blew by the northernmost Batanes islands with 75 mph (120 kph) winds Sunday and then began moving away from the country, Philippine government forecasters said.

Nanmadol was expected to hit Taiwan as early as Monday, Taiwan's central weather bureau said. It urged residents to prepare for strong winds and torrential rain, and warned there could be landslides in mountainous regions and flooding in low-lying areas.

On Sunday, TV footage showed parts of eastern and southern Taiwan drenched with rain. Strong winds blew a van across a road in the eastern Taiwanese county of Taitung.

Ferries connecting Taiwan's mainland to islets and some domestic flights were canceled. Train service in southern and eastern Taiwan was to be suspended, and two major roads in eastern and central Taiwan were to be closed starting late Sunday afternoon.

Two eastern Taiwanese counties said people did not have to go to school or work on Monday.

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Associated Press writers Oliver Teves in Manila and Debby Wu in Taipei contributed to this report.

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China's Zhejiang province evacuates 200,000 for Typhoon Muifa (Reuters)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China's eastern Zhejiang province has evacuated over 200,000 residents as it braces itself for a powerful typhoon that could be the worst in the area in years, the provincial government said on its website.

Typhoon Muifa is due to hit China's eastern seaboard this weekend with winds up to 45 meters a second (100 mph). News of the typhoon prompted the suspension of operations at several oil, dry bulk and container ports in the area on Friday.

Typhoon Muifa is expected to land in Zhejiang late on Saturday, the Zhejiang government said on its website.

Provincial government officials have evacuated about 206,664 people from low-lying coastal areas.

Authorities have also ordered more than 4,000 vessels to return to harbor in Ningbo and Taizhou.

China's meteorological authorities said on Saturday that the typhoon will bring heavy rains to the country's coastal regions while scorching heat is expected to linger in the southern regions over the next three days.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee and Helen Ding, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

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Japan and South Korea at Risk from Typhoon Mo-an (ContributorNetwork)

Japan and South Korea could see damage from a typhoon that is gearing up in the Pacific this week. A tropical storm that has gained power and reached typhoon status to become Typhoon Ma-on could unleash flooding and destruction upon two countries already reeling from natural disaster.

By the end of the week Ma-on could wreak havoc on the southern part of Korea and southwestern Japan, bringing the potential for high winds and heavy rains at the site of the already-battered tsunami and nuclear disaster site in Honshu, Japan and adding to flooding that has been slamming South Korea.

According to Accuweather.com, the tropical storm turned typhoon is expected to strengthen and intensify during the weekend. It was classified as a full-fledged typhoon on Wednesday. Ma-on is expected to veer north, bringing heavy flooding and damaging winds to parts of Japan and South Korea.

Japan and South Korea have already seen plenty of disaster this year and the Korean peninsula is currently dealing with devastating floods that have caused landslides and flooded farmland and more than 350 homes. Rainfall in the western South Korea region topped 15 inches over two days early this week. One area in southwestern South Korea saw 19 inches of rain late last week and the previous weekend saw a 24-hour period of rain that measured 13 inches on Jinju.

As of Monday, 12 people had already died from the most recent torrential rain in South Korea after being crushed by landslides. The end of June saw Typhoon Meari bring excessive rain that has contributed to the flooding that is still going on in the Korean peninsula. Another typhoon will only add to that misery.

Japan's northeast has suffered this year already after the 9.0 Tohoku Earthquake in March that spawned a deadly tsunami and brought about nuclear crisis within the country. Damage from a typhoon will only stretch the resources of a country that is already struggling to recover.

Ma-on could elevate to super typhoon status while in the open sea and it is expected to intensify while in the Philippine Sea as it continues its westerly path. It is expected to turn north or northwest which will bring it in direct line with southern Japan and southern Korea. If Ma-on does not turn northward, a direct westerly path will take it to Taiwan.

Tammy Lee Morris is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member and is a trained Skywarn Stormspotter through the National Weather Service. She has received interpretive training regarding the New Madrid Seismic Zone through EarthScope -- a program of the National Science Foundation. She researches and writes about earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes and other natural phenomena.

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Tropical Storm Chedeng Upgraded to Typhoon as it Heads Toward Philippines (ContributorNetwork)

While many people in the United States are focused on the devastation caused by a series of tornadoes that leveled Joplin, Mo., and wreaked havoc through parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas, tropical storm Chedeng continues to strand passengers in the Philippines. The tropical storm was upgraded to a typhoon by the Philippine Coast Guard today.

A little more than 3,600 people remain stranded at various places throughout the Bicol Region. The Bicol Region, along with several other provinces, including Catanduanes, Albay and Samar, among others, are under a more severe storm warning, signal No. 2, than other areas of the country. Much of the rest of the country, including Masbate, Marinduque, and Southern Quezon, is under the lesser public storm warning No. 1.

The Philippines capital of Manila was put on "blue alert" today. That means 60 percent of their available emergency and rescue workers are to be ready for "immediate response" if they are needed, with more to follow if necessary. A blue alert is the second-highest alert level as identified by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRC) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

In other areas that are known to be prone to flooding and landslides, measures are being taken to ensure the safety of all residents. The governor of Albay province ordered military vehicles to move the more than 200,000 residents of Legazpi City and surrounding areas to safe ground, fearing the potentially devastating consequences if people were not evacuated promptly.

By late afternoon today, the Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) had issued warnings that Chedeng had begun to move significantly faster. It was subsequently spotted a little more than 310 miles off the coast of Northern Samar, moving eastward.

U.S. military weather forecasters have issued their own warnings to the Philippines as well. They are predicting that along with its accelerated pace, Typhoon Chedeng is also very likely to become stronger as it heads towards land. They cited " favorable oceanographic conditions " for their estimates.

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