Super Typhoon Karding (International name: Noru) displaced 17 families, comprising 55 individuals from Brgy. UP Campus on Sunday. The residents have since returned to their homes following their preemptive evacuation.
Barangay officials also reported fallen trees, but no casualties or injuries were recorded. The evacuees were from a flood-prone area in Pook Arboretum, a mini-rainforest along Commonwealth Avenue which is part of UP Campus.
Uprooted trees were reported on Block 10, Pook Palaris, and Block 1, Pook Arboretum. There were no reported injuries or casualties in the areas, according to barangay officials.
Karding, whose maximum winds reached 175 kph before landfall, is the country’s strongest storm to make landfall this year. Prior to Karding’s first landfall in Burdeos, Quezon province, it transformed into a super typhoon which brought strong winds and heavy rains to Luzon Island.
As the storm continued moving westward toward Luzon and made its second landfall in Dingalan, Aurora, it weakened and reverted to the status of a typhoon.
Several residents from the Pook Arboretum, Brgy. UP Campus were preemptively evacuated due to the expected onslaught of Karding. The Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMC) elevated the city’s alert status to red alert. Rainfall was expected to be heavy to intense, along with strong winds.
The evacuees were temporarily sheltered at Pook Dagohoy Basketball Court on Sunday evening. The Quezon City government and Brgy. UP Campus distributed essential items and tents for the evacuees.
Karding left the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Monday evening. The QCDRRMC likewise lowered the city’s alert level status to “yellow” on Monday noon. A yellow alert means that the city’s emergency services will just be placed on standby.
Other areas in the Philippines have also been hit by Karding. Strong winds and torrential rains caused the evacuation of residents in provinces such as Pangasinan, Bulacan, and Rizal. Karding left behind eight fatalities, including five rescuers from Bulacan. The rest of the victims came from Zambales and Quezon Province. Three fisherfolk were also reported missing in Mercedes town in Camarines Norte.
An initial assessment by the Department of Agriculture (DA) also revealed P1.29 billion worth of damages in the agricultural sector, affecting at least 82,158 farmers and fishers. Most of the damaged crops were rice and corn. Livestock, poultry, and marine products were also damaged, the DA said yesterday. ●
Editor’s note: The UP Diliman University Student Council is accepting cash and in-kind donations for those affected by Super Typhoon Karding. Monetary donations may be sent through the following channels:
GCash: Don Alejandro A.
0977 418 3826
PayPal: Don Alejandro Aison
Maya: Julian Matthew Formadero
0923 237 5290
BDO: Margarita Alicia P. Ilagan
Account number: 003920108951
Meanwhile, in-kind donations may be sent to the area between Amorsolo Hall and Enriquez Hall, College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
Point person: Neo Aison (0977 418 3826)