In the early morning of November 1, Super Typhoon Goni made landfall on the coast of
Catanduanes Island in the Philippines. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC), Goni had reached maximum sustained winds of 313 kph (195 mph) and a central
pressure of 884 mb (millibars) prior to landfall. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
however, forecasted the Super Typhoon to have a much weaker rating at landfall, with
sustained winds of 249 kph (155 mph). Regardless of different findings, Super Typhoon Goni
joins the top 10 strongest tropical cyclones at landfall in world history, according to data from
the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and JTWC. A storm surge of around 3-6 meters (10-20
feet) was predicted to have occurred along the coasts of the island which, coupled with wind
damage comparable to an EF3 tornado, destroyed more than 65 percent of the houses in
Catanduanes alone.
The province of Catanduanes was put under a state of calamity on November 2, after
Typhoon Goni barreled through the island province, killing five people and leaving over
10,000 families homeless. Major Powerlines were also damaged, leaving most of the island
without electricity. Relief operations from the Department of Social Welfare and
Development were swiftly conducted on November 4. A price freeze was imposed by the
Department of Trade and Industry on the basic and essential commodities.
Maria Bel Escuarta, DTI Catanduanes director, said in an interview that based on their
findings, no price increases was noted in the province. While no food shortages in the
province were reported, hardware supplies like galvanized iron sheets, plywood, and nails are
expected to fall short once repairs start.
In the province of Albay, the torrential storm caused calamitous river flooding and mudslides.
Albay had been recovering from the effects of Typhoon Molave which struck during the last
week of October. The heavy rains had mobilized ash deposits on the Mayon volcano in
Albay, creating lahars that buried 300 homes under debris. The lahars killed at least nine,
with three more reported missing. Rivers had overflowed and dykes were destroyed, which
caused heavy flooding in several villages. Thankfully, the local government had anticipated
the arrival of the Super Typhoon and enacted mass evacuations early in preparation.
Kristin Dadey, Chief of Mission in the Philippines of the International Organization of
Migration said that reports of power outages, destroyed houses, and villages being flooded
were happening all around the province of Albay. She also exclaimed that while the pre-
emptive effort of the government was commendable, more bad news will arise as the
emergency response goes on.
The NDRRMC reported that as of November 6, 26 deaths and 3 still missing have been
reported. 1,197,888 people (312,583) families across 7 regions were directly affected by the
typhoon. More than 165,000 people (33,000 families) are in still in evacuation sites in
Regions NCR, II, III, CALBARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol and CAR.
Not part but might be interesting to show:
https://twitter.com/inquirerdotnet/status/1322948554390822912
https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRCLifelineOfThePeople?src=hashtag_click
Sources:
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/super-typhoon-goni-slams-into-philippines-as-
strongest-landfalling-tropical-cyclone-on-record/
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1120759
http://www.caloocancity.gov.ph/departments-offices1/74-programs-and-projects/news/380-
ccdrrmo-tutungo-sa-albay-para-sa-relief-operations
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1355729/catanduanes-albay-bear-brunt-of-rolly
https://www.iom.int/news/relief-efforts-stepped-super-typhoon-rolly-devastates-philippines-
bicol-region
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-typhoon-goni-flash-update-no-3-6-
november-2020-7-pm-local-time
