At least ten people were reported dead and nine others went missing after typhoon “Jolina” (international name: “Conson”) brought strong winds and moderate to heavy rains in Eastern Visayas, authorities in the region said Wednesday, September 8.
The fatalities were all fishermen from the city of Tacloban who went fishing in the waters off the coast of the town of Santo Niño and were caught off guard by the typhoon that made landfall over Samar island on Tuesday, September 7.
In the city of Maasin in Southern Leyte, a 22-year-old victim sustained a fatal head injury after hitting a wall when he tried to hold on to a raft.
Authorities said at least 1,987 families or 8,583 people have been evacuated from their homes and stayed at 46 evacuation centers in the Bicol, Western Visayas, and Easter Visayas regions.
Around 543 families are staying in the houses of their relatives and friends.
At least 3,230 passengers were reported stranded in ports in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.
“Typhoon Jolina was really surprising,” said Ronan Napoto of the town of Quinapondan in Eastern Samar. “It caught us by surprise that we never prepared that much,” he said.
“Together with our neighbors, we all tried to clean up the mess that Jolina left us. This will again consume so much of our time that could have been spent looking for a living,” said Napoto.
A 27-year-old man also died on Wednesday of electrocution after he accidentally held on to a lamp post while his body was submerged in flood water in Ormoc City.
Nine ships, 336 vehicles, and 1,122 individuals were stranded in various ports in Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, said authorities.
There were no reports of damage to major infrastructures.
In the capital, the typhoon prompted the evacuation of hundreds of families that are living on the coast of Manila.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 remains raised over Metro Manila and several areas as of Wednesday afternoon as “Jolina” heads toward the South China Sea.
It is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday night or early Friday morning.
