Situation Overview

TY Odette slashed across 7 regions in the country with a strength of 195-kilometer-per-hour winds. The 15th storm made a total of 9 destructive landfalls as it barreled its way through MIMAROPA (Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan); Eastern, Central and Western Visayas; Northern Mindano; and Caraga. TY Odette promptly turned into a category 5 super typhoon just before it hit the terrains of Siargao. What makes the typhoon significant, was TY Odette was able to maintain its strength as it crossed nine different land masses in the southern part of the country. It crossed island after island with inherent strong winds and exceptionally heavy rainfall which left extensive damage in just one day.

Tropical cyclone warnings were issued for areas in the country as TY Odette developed. Early bulletins were issued by the PAGASA for Odette, since December 12 due to the persistent track of the system towards the country. After lashing Palawan Island, TY Odette swept out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday afternoon. As of PAGASA’s 5:00 am advisory, TY Odette continues to intensify over the West Philippine Sea. The eye of the typhoon was located at 320 km Northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). Meanwhile, Tropical Wind Cyclone Signal no.1 remain hoisted over Kalayaan Island.

More than 300,000 people fled their homes as TY Odette ravaged the southern and central regions of the country. Widespread blackout was reported which made it hard to make accurate assessment of the extent of the destruction.

People living near coastal areas and in areas that will be traversed by the typhoon were forced to evacuate. As the typhoon approached and continued to intensify, land travels and sea trips were canceled and the number of affected individuals continued to increase. Fishing vessels were moved to safer ground and many provinces in the Visayas began to prepare for the severe storm. PAGASA raised storm signals. Due to the typhoon’s track, storm signals were focused on parts of Visayas and Mindanao before it further expands to Southern Luzon. Due to its strength, the weather agency, tropical wind cyclone signal number 4 was hoisted in several places in the Visayas Region.

Siargao bore the brunt of the typhoon. Severe damage has been reported. Several families living the coastal towns in Siargao lost their homes and affected families can’t seek refuge anywhere else for even the evacuation centers were also down. The destructive winds brought by the typhoon peeled off the iron sheets of at least 95% of houses in Dinagat Island. Electricity and telecommunications are still down in the area.

Many provinces in the affected regions also experienced power outage and many areas were still without power on Saturday with still many provinces and areas losing communication services. Several toppled trees have blocked many roads and flooding is a major problem in the affected regions, particularly in Bohol, where the typhoon has been described as the one of the worst for the province. NDRRMC situation report said that the typhoon severely affected the provinces of Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Leyte, and Surigao province as one of the heavily affected. Many rivers overflowed in Cagayan de Oro while many infrastructures sustained damages. The hard-hit central provinces of Bohol and Cebu were placed under state of calamity while Negros Occidental is set to declare a state of calamity on Tuesday due to the magnitude of the damage caused by TY Odette.

Numerous areas in Southern Leyte also remain unreachable as trees, posts and debris of houses made from light materials littered across the streets. Our regional center, Leyte Center for Development (LCDE), was first on the ground to conduct rapid damage and needs assessment particularly in the towns of Silago, San Juan, Saint Bernard and Libagon. The devastation to property and livelihood was enormous. Up to 12 feet high storm surges were also experienced in these areas, leaving a total of 300 houses partially and totally damaged. The typhoon also flattened coconut trees in some of parts of Southern Leyte Pacific towns. To date, no immediate help has arrived in the said towns.

Thousands of displaced families are appealing for food and other aid in evacuation centers. Most of the affected areas have dwindling food and water supplies.

Source: Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Inquirer, Philippine News Agency.

Affected Populations

As of NDRRMC’s report no. 5 for TY Odette, a total of 376,719 persons from MIMAROPA, Region 6, Region 7, Region 8, Region 9, Region 10, CARAGA, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were pre-emptively evacuated. An estimated 181,500 families or 706,634 individuals are affected by the typhoon in 2,209 affected barangays, of which, 488,463 individuals are displaced.

Casualties attributed to the typhoon has risen to 31, according to the disaster agency in the hardest hit areas. Thirteen casualties were reported in Negros Occidental, among the eight casualties three have been reported in Moises Padilla town while one each in the municipalities of Manapla, Isabela, Binalbagan as well as in the cities of La Carlota and San Carlos.

In Bacolod City, about 93,696 individuals across the province have been evacuated as of yesterday morning, most of whom are in the Southern Negros, particularly in the 6th district, including areas in Kabankalan City and Ilog town. According to the Negros Occidental governor, some of the evacuees from the north have already returned to their homes while most in the south remain in the evacuation centers. Around 7,000 houses were reported destroyed in Sipalay in Negros Occidental. Meanwhile, Binalbagan MDRRMO confirmed 2 missing fishermen from the towns of Brgy. Enclaro were rescued while 24 persons are still missing.

Based on the data from LCDE, at least 300 houses were totally damage in 4 barangays of St. Bernard and Libangon towns, while at least 2,000 families or 8,000 individuals belonging to these two towns are affected.

Based on the latest figures from NDRRMC, a total of 3,783 houses were damaged, of which 3,612 were partially damage and 171 are totally damage. Forty-one areas in Region 5, Region 6, Region 12, and BARMM were also flooded. So far, no official report has been released on the amount of damage caused by the TY Odette.

Source: National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Inquirer, Leyte Center for Development, Manila Bulletin.

Emergency Response Efforts

1. CDRC is closely monitoring Typhoon “ODETTE” since it was spotted by PAGASA and also monitoring the situation in the affected areas and constantly updating situation reports.
2. CDRC is also closely coordinating with its regional centers in affected areas to collect information on the situation and needs of the ground.
3. On December 15, CDRCC established the activation of Emergency Response Team for TY Odette as well as the affected regions of its partners. (PCDR, LCDE, CPRS and DIRECT).
4. Constant coordination was made by CDRC’s Regional centers with their respective LGU partners particularly with the Local DRRM Offices in the affected cities and provinces.
5. Emergency Response Teams of the respective affected regional centers has been monitoring the developments of the local situation and continue to send data from the ground.
6. With the rising need for emergency response, CDRC has activated its emergency response, which motivates its coordination mechanisms and fundraising efforts.
7. A call for donation for TY Odette has already been posted in our official Facebook page.
8. In addition to establishing ongoing coordination between partners and other networks, typhoon-affected regional centers are currently making an appeal through Emergency Relief Assistance Fund.

Resources Available
Standby emergency funds
1. Prepositioned goods at the CDRC warehouse
2. Monetary and in-kind donations
Expressed Needs
Initial Assessments have indicated immediate needs include:
• Food supplies
• Clean water
• Hygiene kits
• Facemasks
• Primary medicines
• Sleeping materials
Coordination
Regional Center
1. LCDE (Leyte Center for Development, Inc. based in Palo,Leyte)
2. PCDR (Panay Center for Disaster Response, Inc. based in Iloilo City)
3. CPRS (Center for People’s Resources and Services, Inc. based in Bacolod City)
4. DIRECT (Disaster Response Center, Inc. based in Saranggani)
5. STPRC (Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center, Inc. based in Los Baños, Laguna)
Contacts
1. Hanna Fiel, Deputy Executive Director, 0945-8355589, hanna.fiel.cdrc2019@gmail.com
2. Cora Jazmines, Local Partnerships Department, 0928-182-4969, lpd@cdrc-phil.com