Padang, Philippines – Doomed by geography and hobbled by poverty, the Philippines has long struggled to minimize damage from the onslaught of typhoons it faces each year.
But the high death tolls and destruction persist, with the latest storm killing more than 300 people and leaving 300 missing in the northern Philippines.
Typhoon Durian was the fourth major storm to hit the country in four months. It struck the Mayon volcano with so much wind and rain that ash and boulders cascaded down in walls of black mud that swamped entire villages Thursday.
The Philippines’ location in the northwestern Pacific often makes it the region’s welcome mat for typhoons.
“We are often the first to experience typhoons before they go to China, Taiwan and Japan,” said Thelma Cinco, senior weather specialist of the Philippine weather bureau.
Durian, named after a thorny fruit with a powerful odor that many find offensive, blew away roofs, toppled trees and power lines and sent tons of rocks and volcanic ash down Mayon, the region’s most famous landmark about 210 miles southeast of Manila.
Rescuers scouring mountain villages buried under mud and boulders discovered more bodies Saturday, and prospects for finding any of the 300 missing people alive were fading.
The first funerals were held Saturday evening as bodies rapidly decomposed in the tropical heat.
In the town of Padang, only rooftops protruded from the mud and debris. Power pylons were toppled, a two-lane highway became a one-lane road strewn with debris and overturned trucks.
Silangan Santander, 21, attended funeral services for her brother, Larry, whose widow was five months pregnant. Only his lower torso and legs were found near the sea. Another brother was missing.
“In the community where my brother lived, all the houses there were gone,” she said. “There are only rocks, sand and water.”
The sound of boulders crashing down Mayon’s slopes “were like thunder, and the ground shook,” she said. “We thought it would be our end.”
The Red Cross appealed for food, tents, water, blankets, mats, mosquito nets and body bags. Canada donated $876,000, while Japan said it would send $173,000, the Philippine government said.
Nationwide, at least 2,892 people have been killed and 909 have gone missing in storms from 2001 to 2005, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council. Damage has totaled $521 million.
The calamities came despite preparations and measures to mitigate the damage.
Anthony Golez, the council’s deputy chief, said the people of the Philippines need to be better informed about disaster preparedness.
“They have to get scared, or else,” he said. “We have to give them the reality, and it’s a sad reality. We have to tell them the truth.”
