The death toll from typhoon "Gener" (international codename: Saola) climbed to 23 Thursday even as the storm made landfall in northeast Taiwan although it has yet to leave the Philippine area of responsibility.
Gener will continue enhancing the southwest monsoon that will bring rains and strong winds over Luzon and Western Visayas, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
Classes in some areas in and around Metro Manila also remained suspended Thursday because of floods caused by days of nonstop rains.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more bodies have been recovered in Luzon, raising the total deaths on the island to 13.
But rains and floods brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon also left people dead in the Visayas and Mindanao, including Misamis Oriental where Augusto Campo was crushed by a fallen coconut tree, and Maguindanao where a mother and her child drowned trying to ford a river.
The NDRRMC also reported 21 persons injured, many of them by fallen trees.
The typhoon also affected almost 70,000 families, or roughly 331,000 persons, 12,000 of whom remain in evacuation centers. Almost 3,000 homes were also destroyed or damaged.
In Metro Manila, flooding displaced over 400 families in Malabon, Marikina, Manila, Makati, Navotas, Paranaque, Quezon City, and Valenzuela City.
Gener, which was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center with gusts of up to 160 kph, is forecast to exit the PAR on Friday morning.
Public storm warning signal No. 1 remains hoisted over Batanes.
PAGASA has maintained its gale warning over the Luzon and Visayas seaboards, and continued to caution residents of low-lying areas against possible flashfloods and landslides.
The class suspensions are in:
Malabon: Longos, Taniong, San Agustin, Tonsuyo, Dampalit and Panghulo
Bulacan: Paombong (Masukol, Sta Cruz and Binakod), San Ildefonso (all schools, all levels), Hagonoy East (Hagonoy East CS, San Sebastian and Teodora Cruz), Obando (all schools, all levels), Hagonoy West (all pre-elem and elementary schools) and Saluysoy
Navotas City
Valenzuela City: Rincon ES,Pasolo, Isla, Tagalag, Coloong, A. Deato, Wawang Pulo, Pio Valenzuela, PR San Diego, San Diego Parochial School, Nuestra Senora de Guia, Acad ES
Cavite: Bacoor and Imus (pre-school to elementary)
In Taiwan, torrential rains and strong winds triggered landslides and flooding, forcing financial markets shut and disrupting transport, authorities said.
At least one person was killed in a landslide and eight injured in the storm.
While some major companies remained open, Taiwanese authorities ordered other businesses and schools to close. Financial markets were also shut, with normal operations expected to resume on Friday.
Most domestic flights were cancelled, along with some international services. Train services were also stopped as the typhoon made its way up Taiwan's less populated and mountainous east coast.
Taiwan's National Fire Agency said one person had been killed in a landslide in the central region of Chiayi. Eight people were injured, most in falls from motorcycles.
The agency also said a policeman had died of a heart attack. (with a report from Reuters)
source: interaksyon.com
