[Vnbiz] Manila whipped by storm as it heads for Vietnam

[Phan, Tai]

Manila whipped by storm as it heads for Vietnam


Sep 28, 2006 - By Dolly Aglay

MANILA (Reuters) - Typhoon Xangsane weakened over the Philippines on Thursday but fierce winds and driving rains killed at least eight people, displaced nearly 5,500 and devastated parts of the central islands and Manila. 

Xangsane, which swept into the center of the country on Wednesday with winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts of 160 kph, is expected to strengthen again over the South China Sea, drawing power from its warm waters. 

The storm roared through the capital Manila, emptying the sprawling streets as most of the city's 12 million residents took shelter from uprooted trees, overturned trucks and cars and other flying debris. 

"It sounded like a train passed on the roof," said one occupant of a fourth-floor apartment. "Then the roof in one of our rooms was gone. I can now see the sky." 

The center of the storm was about 100 km (60 miles) west of Manila and moving further west out to sea at 22 kph. Xangsane is expected to reach the Vietnam coast early on Sunday. 

"It will likely regenerate to a typhoon when it reaches the South China Sea," weather specialist Renato Molina told Reuters. 

But the weather bureau said it had spotted a new depression thousands of kilometers to the east of the Philippines which might develop into a storm and enter the country's area of responsibility by Saturday. 

Violent winds and seas stranded around 3,500 ferry passengers and killed at least eight people. A further five were feared dead after heavy rains triggered a mudslide south of Manila. 

Rescue efforts have been hampered by power failure, blocked roads and cut communication lines, forcing dozens of people in the central Philippines to take refuge on roofs. 

Six provinces in the central Bicol region, famed for its coconut plantations, were left without electricity as high winds toppled power lines. 

"Our people are doing their best to restore power. Hopefully, we will restore electricity by early evening," said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla. He said the outage was partly due to voluntary shutdown of plants to avoid storm damage. 

TOO DANGEROUS 

Xangsane brought Manila to a near standstill with all flights and sea travel in and out of the city canceled. The international airport reopened at around 3 pm (0700 gmt) after the runways were cleared of debris. 

Public offices were shuttered and local trading in the peso and shares was canceled. Government offices and schools will remain closed on Friday while a clean-up gets under way. 

Power was interrupted in wide areas of the main island of Luzon, including Manila, forcing the suspension of train services. Taxi drivers were reluctant to take to the road. 

"It's too dangerous," said one cab driver, Armando Legaspi. "Trees were falling left and right. So many things were flying out there. Visibility was also poor and I was so afraid the wind could flip my car." 

Agriculture officials said an initial estimate showed 60 million pesos ($1.19 million) worth of crops, particularly fruit trees, had been destroyed. 

Xangsane was the 13th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, disaster officials said. 

Storms regularly hit the archipelago of about 7,000 islands. In the worst disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in the central province of Leyte in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.