By The SUN
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| Rolly's ferocious winds ripped the roof off Naga Airport (photo from CAA Phl) |
At least 10 people have been reported killed while three others are missing in the Bicol region in the aftermath of super typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni).
According
to initial reports from the Office of Civil Defense in Region 5, nine people
have so far been confirmed dead in Albay and one in Catanduanes.
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But
in the latest weather bulletin from Pag-asa issued at 11pm Sunday, Rolly had already
been downgraded to tropical storm as it rapidly weakened after sweeping across
much of Luzon, where it made four landfalls.
By
10pm Sunday, Tropical Storm Rolly was located hovering over the West Philippine
Sea, and was estimated to be about 150 km northwest of Calapan City in Oriental
Mindoro
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| One of the dead people in Albay being carried away (Reuters) |
Rolly
had intensified into a super typhoon packing winds of up to 225 kilometres per
hour before it hit the Bicol region early in the day, displacing nearly 400,000
people from their homes.
The
strongest typhoon of the year also caused volcanic rocks to bury around 300 houses in Albay, ripped
off roofs, toppled houses and power lines, and caused flooding in many areas.
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| Some of the houses buried by volcanic rock in Albay |
The OCD also said 1,013 passengers were stranded in ports across the Bicol region.
After
slamming into Bato, Catanduanes at 4:50 a.m. Sunday, Rolly made three more
landfalls: in Tiwi, Albay at 7:20 a.m.; in San Narciso, Quezon at noon; and in
Lobo, Batangas at 5:30 p.m.
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But
it was downgraded back to being typhoon when it rapidly lost steam by about
noon as it swept across Luzon, including Metro Manila. In anticipation of the
super typhoon, the capital closed its international airport and its 12 million
residents battened down their hatches.
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| Pag-Asa's latest bulletin shows Rolly now hovers over the West Phl Sea |
In
its 11pm bulletin, Pag-asa said Rolly was expected to leave the Philippine area
of responsibility on Tuesday morning, and would likely remain as a tropical
storm.
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However,
it is still expected to bring light to moderate, with at times heavy rains,
over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and
Central Luzon.
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Rough
to very rough seas with swells of between 2.5 and 5 meters will prevail off
Northern and . Central Luzon, the western seaboards of Batangas, Occidental
Mindoro, and eastern seaboards of Quezon and the Bicol region. Sea travel
remains risky in these areas.
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