Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

Makalipas ang isang buwan matapos hagupitin ang Cagayan de Oro at Iligan ng Bagyong Sendong, ano na kaya ang kalagayan nila at ang pinaka latest update hinggil dito. Mga naganap bago, habang at pagkapos hagupitin ang Pilipinas.

Overview of Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

International designation: 1121,

JTWC designation: 27W,

PAGASA Name: Sendong

Washi was a late-season tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic damage in the Philippines in 2011.

 

Typhoon Sendong (international code, Washi) sent torrents of water, mud and logs cascading through riverside and coastal villages on Mindanao Island in mid-December, destroying more than 10,000 houses and displacing more than 300,000 people, who are mostly in emergency shelters.

The death toll from one of the country's worst natural disasters in two decades has risen to 1,249 with about 1,100 missing.

Storm path of Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

On December 12, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that a developing area of low pressure had persisted about 945 km (585 mi) south-southeast of Guam.

Further development over the following day prompted the JTWC to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert early on December 13.

Less than six hours later, both the JTWC and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression, with the former assigning the identifier 27W.

Maintaining a westward track, the depression was forecast to intensify slowly over the following three days.

By December 14, convection redeveloped over the low and the JTWC subsequently assessed the system to have attained tropical storm status.

Early on December 15, the system crossed west of 135°E and entered the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) area of responsibility. Upon doing so, PAGASA began issuing advisories and assigned the cyclone with the local name Sendong.

Shortly thereafter, the storm passed close to or over Palau. By 0600 UTC, the JMA upgraded the system to tropical storm status, at which time they assigned it with the name Washi.

Early on December 16, the storm made its first landfall along the east coast of Mindanao with winds of 75 km/h (45 mph).

After passing Mindanao, Washi weakened due to land interaction, but the storm regained its strength quickly and reached its peak strength in the Sulu Sea.

Late on December 17, Washi crossed Palawan and arrived in the South China Sea. Washi weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated on December 19, because of cool, dry air in association with the Northeast Monsoon.

Impact of Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

Satellite estimated rainfall from Tropical Storm Washi over the Philippines

Tropical Storm Washi brought 10 hours of torrential rains that triggered disastrous flash flooding over Mindanao, an area that rarely experiences tropical cyclones.

During the overnight hours, hundreds of people were killed as flood waters and landslides destroyed homes along mountain sides.

In some locations, flood waters rose by 3.3 m (11 ft) in less than an hour.

Residents impacted by these flood waters were forced to seek refuge on their roofs amidst 90 km/h (55 mph) winds.

The mayor of Iligan regarded the floods as the worst in the city's history. More than 2,000 people were rescued from the hardest hit areas.

After the Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

A massive relief operation involving the evacuation of 100,000 people occurred on the morning of December 17, 2011.

Approximately 20,000 soldiers were mobilized to assist in recovery efforts and evacuations.

The Philippine Coast Guard was dispatched to search for missing people after villages were reported to have been swept out to sea.

Sixty people were rescued off the coast of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental and another 120 in the waters near Opol Township.

President Benigno Aquino III visited Cagayan de Oro and Iligan on December 20, 2011, and declared a state of national calamity in the affected provinces.

The total cost of damages to agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at P999.9 million according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The President also appealed to its citizens to help the victims in their way of celebrating Christmas in his Christmas Message.

Related article about Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

PNoy declares state of national calamity

December 21, 2011

President Benigno Aquino III has signed the proclamation putting the entire country under state of national calamity due to the devastation caused by tropical storm Sendong particularly in several areas in Northern Mindanao over the weekend.

In Proclamation No 303, signed Tuesday night and released to the media Wednesday afternoon, Aquino directed all departments and government agencies to implement and execute medical assistance, relief and rehabilitation work in accordance with existing operational plans and directives and orders in connection with the occurrence of calamities.


Latest figures from the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) placed the number of fatalities due to Sendong at 1,002, mostly from the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, with damage to property nearing the P1-billion mark, including P946,950,000 in damaged roads and bridges and P22,800,000 in health facilities in Region X (Northern Mindanao) alone.

Aquino, who visited Cagayan de Oro and Iligan on Tuesday, said due to the severe gravity of the damage, particularly in Regions VII (Central Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), X (Northern Mindanao), XI (Davao Region) and the CARAGA, the government is spearheading the entire nation’s efforts to undertake immediate rescue, recovery, relief and rehabilitation.

He said the declaration will hasten the rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts of the government and the private sector including any international humanitarian assistance.

The declaration would also effectively control the prices of basic goods and commodities for the affected areas.

“This declaration also necessitates that the mechanisms for international humanitarian assistance are implemented pursuant to Republic Act 10121,” Aquino said.

RA 10121 or the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010" is the law creating the NDRRMC. Section 18 of the law provides for the "Mechanism for International Humanitarian Assistance," exempting from tax and customs "subject to the approval of the Office of the President" the importation and donation of food, clothing, medicine and equipment for relief and recovery and other disaster management and recovery-related supplies.

The President added that such declaration will further afford the local government units ample latitude to utilize their calamity fund for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of their constituents.

Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, earlier said the declaration would allow the national government to tap more funds for the rehabilitation and relief operations. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News

'Sendong' world's deadliest storm for 2011

Deaths reach 957, hundreds still missing

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - Tropical storm "Sendong" (international name Washi) is the world's deadliest storm this year, latest data shows.


The storm, which struck Northern Mindanao, the Visayas, and Palawan over the weekend, has now killed at least 957 people, the country's disaster management chief said Tuesday morning.


National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Director Benito Ramos also said they have lost count of the number of people who have gone missing following the flashfloods spawned by the storm.


American meteorologist Dr. Jeff Masters, citing data from insurance broker AON Benfield, said 902 people died during a storm in Brazil in January. Meanwhile, 657 people died during the massive floods in Thailand from June to November.


Masters, who explained how the tragedy happened, said Sendong carried an unusual amount of rainwater, which came from a large stream of tropical moisture over the Pacific Ocean.


A US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) report December 15, a day before the storm struck, said Sendong was carrying as much as 50 millimeters of rainwater, which is almost the same amount that storm Ondoy was bringing in 2009.


"Washi hit a portion of the Philippines that does not see tropical storms and typhoons very often. Mindanao is thus hit only about once every twelve years by a significant tropical storm or typhoon," Masters added.


"Since the rains fell on regions where the natural forest had been illegally logged or converted to pineapple plantations, the heavy rains were able to run off quickly on the relatively barren soils and create devastating flash floods. Since the storm hit in the middle of the night, and affected an unprepared population that had no flood warning system in place, the death toll was tragically high," he said.

Latest Updates about Tropical Storm Washi / Bagyong Sendong

27 December 2011 Last updated at 12:26 GMT

Philippines Typhoon Washi death toll reaches 1,249

Officials are working to rehouse residents sheltering in temporary evacuation centers.

A total of 1,249 people are now known to have died in flash floods that struck the southern Philippines more than a week ago.

Officials say more bodies had been found in the waters south of the island of Mindanao.

It is not clear how many people are still missing but officials say the search for bodies will continue.

Typhoon Washi struck from 16 to 18 December, devastating the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Many of those who died were sleeping as Typhoon Washi caused rivers to burst their banks, leading to landslides. Entire villages were washed away.

Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said that an earlier higher death toll provided by the health department had been revised downwards and that the current toll was now based on an actual count of both identified and unidentified recovered bodies.

Conclusion

Matapos ang pagsalanta ng Bagyong Sendong, muli na naman nating pinakita sa buong mundo ang pagbabayanihan, pagtulong sa kapwa Pilipino sa abot n gating makakaya.

Ngunit mapapansin din natin na sa tuwing may nangyayaring mga kalamidad sa ating bansa eh, lagi na lang di nawawala ang pagtuturuan ng mga tao lalo higit ng mga pulitiko upang may masisi sa pangyayaring iyon. Bakit kaya di na lang nila gawing daan ito upang magbigay ng pangmatagalang solusyon upang sa mga susunod na pagsalanta ng mga malalakas na bagyo eh maiwas na ang mga trahedyan tulad ng nangyari sa Bagyong Sendong.

Isang katangian nating mga Pilipino na hinahangaan ng buong mundo ay pagiging palaban natin, kahit ano pang pagsubok ang daanin o danasin natin eh, babangon at bangon tayo para magsimulang muli.

References:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Sendong
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16336706
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/11188984-bagyong-sendong-tropical-storm-sendong-typhoon-sendong-of-december-16-2011
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/19/11/sendong-worlds-deadliest-storm-2011
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/242663/ulatfilipino/balitangpinoy/nasawi-sa-bagyong-sendong-umabot-na-sa-1-100-katao
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/242753/news/nation/sendong-death-toll-1-249-rebels-urge-punishment
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/242328/news/nation/pnoy-declares-state-of-national-calamity?ref=related_stories