Typhoon Nesat brings Philippines capital to a standstill

Financial markets closed as storm hits main island, leaving one dead and four missing Typhoon Nesat struck the Philippines’ main island on Tuesday, bringing the capital to a near standstill as it disrupted power supplies and closed financial markets, government offices, transport and schools. A 22-month-old boy died in the storm and four people were reported missing. Nesat was a category-3 typhoon with winds of about 125mph (200km/h) when it hit the northern provinces of Luzon island just before dawn. It lost some strength as it moved west-north-west. Large portions of the capital, Manila, a city of 13 million, were without power and the light rail networks were shut as a precaution, officials said, after high winds cut power lines and blew down electricity poles. Most domestic flights were cancelled. “This is only a temporary shut-off so that there will be no accidents, no short circuit, because if electric posts are toppled there might be short circuits,” said Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster agency. Strong winds tore off some billboards along major roads, with one slamming into three parked cars in the financial district. The waters of Manila Bay overflowed on to Roxas Boulevard, flooding streets and parks around the US embassy, central bank and finance department. At points the water was waist-deep, a Reuters cameraman said. Manila residents in low-lying areas waded through floodwaters to seek higher ground and evacuation centres. Winds tore the roof from a gymnasium used as an evacuation centre in the Tondo district in the capital, forcing evacuees to find new shelter. Nesat, with a diameter of 400 miles, dumped heavy rains on rice and corn-growing regions in central Luzon, with nearly all of the provinces on the main island under a typhoon alert. The weather bureau said the typhoon, known locally as Pedring, was dropping 15mm to 25mm of rain an hour. “The wind is very strong,” Faustino Dy, governor of Isabela province where Nesat made landfall, told national radio. He estimated 15% to 20% of rice crops in the province may be damaged by the typhoon. The one person confirmed killed in the storm was a 22-month-old boy who drowned on Monday night, while at least four fishermen were reported missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 people on Monday. Philippines Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.