Typhoon leaves 31 dead, many homes roofless in Philippines

A resident salvages parts of her home damaged due to Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Photo / AP

A powerful typhoon left at least 31 people dead, knocked down power and communications in entire provinces and wrought widespread destruction mostly in the central Philippines, officials said Saturday. A governor said her island has been "levelled to the ground."

Typhoon Rai blew away on Friday night into the South China Sea after rampaging through southern and central island provinces, where more than 300,000 people in its path were evacuated to safety in advance in a pre-emptive move officials say may have saved a lot of lives.

This photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, shows damaged houses caused by Typhoon Rai at a coastal village in Surigao del Norte province, southern Philippines. Photo / AP

At its strongest, Rai packed sustained winds of 195km/h per hour and gusts of up to 270km/h, one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. The typhoon slammed into the country's southeastern coast on Thursday but the extent of casualties and destruction remained unclear two days after with entire provinces still without power and cellphone connection.

The government's main disaster-response agency said at least 31 people were reported killed, many after being hit by falling trees, but it added it was validating most of the deaths. At least three were injured and one was missing.

Officials on Dinagat Islands, one of the first provinces to be lashed by the typhoon's ferocious winds, remained cut off Saturday due to downed power and communication lines. But its governor, Arlene Bag-ao, managed to post a statement on the province's website to say that the island of about 180,000 "has been levelled to the ground". She pleaded for food, water, temporary shelters, fuel, hygiene kits and medical supplies. She said only a few casualties have been reported in the capital so far because other towns remain isolated.

The strong typhoon engulfed villages in floods that trapped residents on roofs, toppled trees and knocked out power. Photo / AP

"We may have survived, but we cannot do the same in the coming days because of our limited capacities as an island province," Bag-ao said, adding some of Dinagat's hospitals could not open due to damage. "Most of our commercial and cargo vessels ... are now unsuitable for sea voyages, effectively cutting us off from the rest of the country."

Vice Governor Nilo Demerey managed to reach a nearby province and told DZMM radio network that at least six residents died and that "almost 95 per cent of houses in Dinagat have no roof," and even emergency shelters were destroyed.

"We're currently doing repairs because even our evacuation centers were destroyed. There are no shelters, the churches, gymnasium, schools, public markets and even the capitol were all shattered," Demerey said.

Residents carry what's left of their belongings as they walk past damaged homes due to Typhoon Rai in Surigao city, Surigao del Norte, central Philippines. Photo / AP

Pictures posted on Dinagat's website show low-slung houses with roofs either blown off or damaged and surrounded by tin roof sheets and debris. The nearby island of Siargao, known as the surfing capital of the Philippines, also was pummelled by the typhoon.

In central Bohol province, which was directly hit by the typhoon, the coast guard said its personnel on board rubber boats rescued residents who were trapped on roofs and trees, as waters rose rapidly. It released footage showing coast guard staff helping people from the roof of a house nearly engulfed by brownish floodwater to a rubber boat. They also help a villager climb down from a tree above the floodwater while another man, also wearing an orange life vest, waits for his turn.

Residents line up to charge their phones for free at a mall after Typhoon Rai damaged power lines. Photo / AP

With government contingency funds used for the coronavirus pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would look for money to help the provinces. He planned to visit the devastated region this weekend.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year.