Death Toll Surges After Super Typhoon Rai Slams Philippines

The number of reported deaths in the Philippines continues to surge days after Super Typhoon Rai, the 15th and strongest storm to impact the country this year. The Philippine National Police confirmed 375 died, 500 were injured, and 56 others were missing. More deaths are yet to be confirmed as rescue operations continue. 

Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette – with winds up to 195km/h, sent 400,000 people running for safety. Typhoon made landfall Thursday (December 16) in Siargao, part of the Mindanao Island group.

Rescue teams have depicted scenes of “complete carnage”. However, estimating the scale of losses is difficult because communication in several areas has been cut off. Rescuers were worried that the widespread landslides and flooding may have claimed more lives. 

Rescuers and volunteers face the difficult task of reaching some isolated areas.

So far, the majority of the deaths reported were in Bohol. It’s an island province and a popular tourist destination in the Central Visayas region. The islands of Cebu, Negros, and Palawan were also severely affected by the super typhoon.

“Many areas still have no power, no communication, and lack water supply. Some areas look like it has been devastated even worse than World War Two”. – Richard Gordon, Chairperson of the Philippine Red Cross

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have initiated an emergency donation targeting 20 million Swiss francs (£16m or $22m) to support long-term relief efforts in affected localities. 

Mr. Gordon said that Red Cross emergency teams report complete carnage in the coastal communities. Homes, schools, health facilities, and community buildings have been damaged. 

Volunteers are in the area giving out urgent help “for people who have lost everything,” he added. Similarly, thousands of military personnel, coast guard, and fire officers have been deployed in the worst-affected areas to assist search and rescue efforts. Military aircraft and naval vessels continue to bring relief assistance.

Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has conducted an aerial inspection of the areas heavily damaged by the storm. Videos posted on social media by President Duterte’s aides show extensive damage to Siargao, Dinagat, and Mindanao islands.

Dinagat Islands Governor Arlene Bag-ao said on Facebook that the region had been “leveled to the ground” by the strong typhoon. Governor Bag-ao noted that the fields and boats of farmers and fisherfolk had been severely damage. Meanwhile, the walls and roofs of their homes were torn and blown off. The region is experiencing a dwindling supply of food and water.

“The damage is reminiscent, if not worse, when Yolanda hit our province,” says Dinagat Island Governor Arlene Bag-ao.

More than 6,000 people died when Yolanda, or Typhoon Haiyan, hit the country in 2013. It remains the country’s deadliest storm in history. On the average, about 20 storms and typhoons strike the Philippines every year.

Typhoon Rai has since left the country and is moving along China’s south-eastern coast.

Philippines’ Typhoon Rai is the strongest storm in 2021 and comes late in the region’s typhoon season – with most cyclones happening between July and October.

Super Typhoon Rai strengthened from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 the day before making landfall, undergoing the so-called rapid intensification—or an increase in winds of at least 30 mph over a 24 hour-period.

Scientists have warned that rising global temperatures due to man-made climate change are causing typhoons to become more powerful and strengthen more rapidly.

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