Situation Overview

The typhoon, known locally as Typhoon Karding, strengthened rapidly from Saturday to Sunday, arriving as a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour (about 150 miles per hour). Super Typhoon Karding made landfall on Burdeos, Quezon on Sunday afternoon, September 25, with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h and gustiness of up to 240 km/h followed by another landfall as a typhoon in Dinangalan, Aurora province. It then traversed the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Zambales before leaving the Zambales coast earlier on Monday.

It blasted the main island of Luzon on Sunday, before weakening on Monday to maximum winds of 167 kilometers per hour. Several parts of central Luzon suffer power outages following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Karding. On Sunday, President Marcos approved the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Council (NDRRMC) recommendation to suspense classes and work due to the inclement of weather caused by the super typhoon.

The super typhoon hit Luzon with violent winds and heavy rains that forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. Due to the shift to the eastern part of Central Luzon, the storm hit about 100 kilometers northeast of the nation’s capital. Forced evacuation in “high-risk” areas was in full swing. Widespread flooding was also experienced in the provinces of Bulacan, Quezon, and Pampanga.

Our regional center, Lambak Cagayan Mission Center, Inc. (LCMCI) reports that Quirino province has been heavily affected by Noru, and that record rainfall and flooding caused widespread damage to crop fields, leaving communities across the province vulnerable. Another regional center, based in southern Luzon has reported that Barangay Pag-asa and Barangay Libis in Laguna were also submerged in knee-deep flood water due to the incessant rains. Also due to the extent of damage caused by typhoon, the entire Province of Nueva Ecija will be placed under the State of Calamity.

Meanwhile, according to the initial report provided by the NDRRMC, the province of Quezon is seen as one of the heavily affected by the Super Typhoon Karding. The agency also stated that they evacuated 52,000 individuals, with casualties reported in Bulacan and reports of missing individuals in Camarines Norte. It was also reported by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)- Bureau of Maintenance, that four national road sections in Luzon are temporarily closed due to the effects of typhoon Karding. In addition to power and water outages, internet and mobile phone reception are poor, making communication difficult.

Typhoon Karding continues to weaken and is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday evening, September 26, but the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat is bringing rain to the western parts of Southern Luzon and the Visayas according to the Pagasa.

Source: National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Council, Inquirer, PAGASA.

Affected Populations

After lashing the country’s most populace island, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year left at least 6 people dead according to the NDRRMC. 5 of the six casualties are five rescuers from San Miguel, Bulacan while the other is an elderly man from Polilio Island who was hit by a landslide. Nearly, 75,000 people were evacuated from their homes before the storm hit.

Meanwhile, around 2,882 passengers have been stranded in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Bicol regions according to the National Coast Guards. Damage to agriculture has not yet been identified but according to the bulletin issued by the Department of Agriculture on Sunday noon, based on the combined data of all regions in Luzon, the area of standing crops that may be affected by Karding totals to 1,469,037 hectares for rice and 281, 322 hectares for corn.

Source: Department of Agriculture, National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Council.

Emergency Response Efforts

• CDRC and its regional centers are actively monitoring the situation and will continue to issue updates once information is obtained from official sources.
• CDRC is also closely coordinating with its regional centers in affected areas to collect information on the situation and needs on the ground.
• On September 25, CDRC activated its Emergency Response Team for STY Karding, as well as the affected regions of its regional centers. (STPRC and LCMCI).
• CDRC’s Regional Centers are started coordinating with their respective LGU partners, particularly with the Local DRRM Offices in the affected cities and provinces.
• Emergency Response Teams of the respective affected regional centers have been monitoring developments in the local situation and continue to send data from the ground.
• CDRC’s emergency response team are on standby for possible immediate deployment.
• CDRC coordinates mechanisms and fundraising efforts. CDRC has opened a “Call for Donation” for communities affected by the super typhoon Karding.
• CDRC and its regional center on the ground continue to monitor the situation and have begun issuing situation reports. Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center conducted the initial Damage Needs and Capacity Assessment in the affected barangays in Quezon.

Resources Available

• Standby emergency funds
• Prepositioned goods at the CDRC warehouse
• Monetary and in-kind donations

Coordination

Regional Center
1. Tarabang para sa Bicol, Inc. (TABI)
2. Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center (STPRC)
3. Alay-Bayan Luson, Inc. (ABI)
4. Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment, and Development, Inc. (ICRED)
5. Lambak Cagayan Mission Center, Inc. (LCMCI)
6. Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Service, Inc. (CorDis-RDS)
Contacts
1. Cora Jazmines, Local Partnerships Department, 0928-182-4969, lpd@cdrc-phil.com
2. Dom Ybera, Deputy Executive Director, dybera@gmail.com