Deadly storm blows away from Philippines, but forecasters warn it may return

Tropical Storm Trami has blown away from the north-western Philippines, leaving at least 46 people dead after extensive flooding stranded thousands of people – with many of them trapped on their roofs.

However, the onslaught may not be over. State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the storm, the 11th and one of the deadliest to hit the Philippines this year, could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.

The storm was last tracked at dawn blowing 78 miles west of the coastal town of Bacnotan in northern La Union province with sustained winds of up to 59mph and gusts of up to 78mph.

It was moving north-west at 15mph toward Vietnam, which was forecast to be lashed by Trami starting on Sunday if it stays on course.

The Philippine weather agency, however, said it is possible that high-pressure winds and other weather factors in the South China Sea could force the storm to turn back toward the Philippines.

President Ferdinand Marcos, sounding exasperated, inquired about that prospect in an emergency meeting with Cabinet members and disaster-response officials on Friday about the response to the widespread devastation.

“What is the forecast for that? Is it possible it would return?” Mr Marcos asked.

A government forecaster told him Trami could turn toward the western Philippines early next week, but it is more likely to blow away from the Philippines again without making landfall.

“It doesn’t have to make landfall for the damage to occur,” Mr Marcos said, citing the continuing downpours set off by Trami in the Philippines.

He also cited another brewing storm in the Pacific Ocean that could again threaten the country.
“Oh God, it is what it is. We just have to deal with it,” Mr Marcos said.

State forecaster Jofren Habaluyas told The Associated Press that Trami’s possible U-turn has drawn interest among government weather experts in Asia, including those from Japan, which has been providing information to the Philippines to help track the storm.

The death toll from Trami rose to at least 46 after five more people were reported killed in floodwaters and landslides in hard-hit Bicol, an agricultural region and tourism destination south-east of Manila that is popular for Mayon, one of the country’s 24 most active volcanoes that has a near-perfect cone.

Nine of the newly reported storm deaths were caused by flooding and landslides in Batangas, a coastal resort province south of Manila, which was drenched by torrential rains in the last two days, according to police, which said that they were still gathering details about the deaths.

Although Trami did not strengthen into a typhoon, it dumped unusually heavy rains in some regions, including some that saw one to two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, that inundated communities with flash floods.

Officials in Naga city, where 11 people died by drowning, and the outlying provinces of Camarines Sur and Albay pleaded for more rescue boats at the height of the onslaught to reach people trapped on the upper floors of their homes or on their roofs as floodwaters rose.

In the foothills of Mayon volcano in Albay province, mud and other debris cascaded toward nearby towns as the storm hit, engulfing houses and cars in mudflows.

More than 2.6 million people were affected by the deluge, with nearly 320,000 people fleeing into evacuation centres or relatives’ homes, disaster-mitigation officials said.

The government shut down schools and government offices on the main northern island of Luzon. Inter-island ferry services were also suspended, stranding thousands.

In Vietnam, state forecasters warned of heavy rains in the central region. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered coastal provinces to stay vigilant, closely monitor Trami’s course and brace for contingencies.

Last month, Typhoon Yagi battered Vietnam, killing 323 people and causing extensive damages valued at more than three billion dollars, according to a Vietnamese government report.

Each year, about 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines, a south-east Asian archipelago which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and flattened entire villages.