SUPER typhoon Rolly cut a swath of destruction across southern Luzon, killed 24 and injured 26 others, a Philippine National Police report said yesterday, as General Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan ordered his men to field all their available personnel and resources to badly-devastated areas.
A PNP Disaster Incident Management Task Group report said that 20 of the fatalities came from Bicol region, three from Calabarzon region and one from Mimaropa region.
Another 22 were reported injured in Bicol and four in Calabarzon region. There were also three reported missing in Region 5 and one each from Regions 4-A and 4-B.
The PNP-DIMTG said 22 infrastructures in Mimaropa region, 10 from Bicol and one from Cordillera region were destroyed. Heavy rains and overflowing rivers flooded 417 areas — 186 in Bicol, 149 in Mimaropa, 70 in Central Luzon, seven in Metro Manila and five in Calabarzon region.
The PNP said that since Sunday, police in affected regions have rescued 6,707 persons, a total of 3,677 by the Police Regional Office 4-A; 2,748 by the PRO5; 215 by the PRO4-B; and 67 by the National Capital Region Police Office.
However, not even a single incident of looting was recorded by the PNP during the onslaught of Rolly which also affected 1,095 Bicol policemen and three from the NCRPO.
As of yesterday, PNP spokesman Colonel Ysmael S. Yu said that 5,804 PNP search-and-rescue personnel have been deployed to affected regions with 16,604 others in standby for possible deployment.
The PNP spokesperson said that on orders of Gen. Cascolan, a total of 19,243 Reactionary Standby Support Force personnel have been mobilized.
To date, nearly 1,600 policemen have been deployed in evacuation centers to ensure the safety and security of displaced residents in Metro Manila and Regions 2,3, 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6, 8, 10 and Cordillera region.
Latest accounting showed that 4,848 policemen deployed are equipped with life vests, rescue rope, rappelling sets, floating rings, chainsaws and megaphones. Police also deployed 457 rubber boats, over 7,000 vehicles, 423 generator sets and radio and other communication equipment in areas where electricity and communications have been a problem after strong winds brought by ‘Rolly’ toppled electric posts and power lines.
Latest reports said there are 241 areas without electricity. In Bicol region, the entire Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes and Sorsogon provinces and some areas in Naga City and 57 in Masbate City were experiencing a power outage.
There were also 68 areas in Region 4-A, 94 in Mimaropa, 10 in Cordillera, seven in Cagyan Valley, three in Central Luzon and two in Metro Manila without electricity.
Another 103 areas also have no cell phone signals including 55 in Bicol, 16 in Cagayan Valley; 28 in Cordillera region; one in Bicol; and three in Northern Mindanao.
Yu said there are a total of 16,017 evacuation centers in affected regions currently housing nearly 159,000 affected families composed of about 612,000 individuals being guarded by the police.
All flights to and from Regions 4-B and 5 were canceled on Sunday and Monday while 659 motor vehicles carrying 2,700 people were stranded in different ports in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Mimaropa and Calabarzon regions.
Twenty-four roads were also rendered impassable to vehicles due to flooding and debris including nine in Region 3, four in Region 2, five in Cordillera region, two in Region 4-A, two in Region 4-B and one in Western Visayas.
