The super typhoon Goni slammed the eastern Philippines ferociously on Sunday. It killed seven people instantly and caused volcanic mudflows, which buried houses. The typhoon eventually weakened while moving towards Manila. The main airport of the capital was shut.
The typhoon Goni first hit Catanduanes province during sunrise. The winds were 140 miles per hour with gusts of 174 mph. The winds were barreling towards populated places like Manila, which was pouring heavily. People were already recovering from a typhoon that hit them a week prior to this. The earlier one killed 22 people reportedly.
Typhoon Goni sweeps away people in the Albay
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Governor Al Francis Bichara said that four people died in Albay province. Two of them were a father and a son from the rural community. They were hit by the mudflows and their houses were swept down from Mayon Volcano by heavy rain. Apparently, the villagers had fled for safety purposes, but the duo decided to stay put. The body of the child was found around nine miles away and was swept by floodwaters and mudflows.
Three more villagers were killed in Albay. One of them were pinned down by a tree, as reported by someone from the Office of Civil Defense. The disaster-response agency is head by a man named Richard Jalad. He said that the typhoon Goni was destructive and will cause more damage. There are plenty of people from vulnerable areas who will bear the clear impact of this.
The weather agency of Philippine reinforced the concerns by saying that within 12 hours since Goni blasted the shore, people will experience a catastrophe. The winds will be violent and so will be the rainfall.
There were warning for the residents to beware of landslides, flooding, and storm surge of around 5 meters. They were also told that winds can sweep away the shanties. However, some people didn’t listen to the warnings.
How people protected their homes
In the province of Quezon, a villager named Diane Joco somehow managed to escape flimsy houses with husband, parents, siblings, and cousin. They fled from the area close to the shore of Calauag and took refuge in sturdy houses close to the coast to guard their homes.
Joco reported over a phone call and said that they need to be near their houses in order to quickly repair them. If not, the houses could get blown away. He also said that they don’t have any other house. She also said that a section of tin roof in the neighbor’s house got ripped by a gust.
Goni was one of the worst typhoons that happened this year. The incident evoked memories of Haiyan typhoon that had left around 7,300 missing or dead. Haiyan had flattened several villages, swept ships from inlands, and displaced around 5 million or more in central Philippines in 2013.
Fortunately, Goni weakened before the nightfall and had sustained winds at 102 miles per hour and 143 miles per hour of gusts. However, it stayed strong for a long time. According to Jalad, around one million people have to be evacuated.
