Only 20 deaths recorded from super typhoon Rolly?

by Henry Buzar November 9, 2020 Typhoon Rolly aftremath. After th...

by Henry Buzar
November 9, 2020

Typhoon Rolly aftremath.

After the Yolanda-like winds reaching 310kph, twenty (20) perished from Super Typhoon Rolly. Imagine, only 20 persons died from ST Rolly. Can you imagine that, only 20?

Why the few numbers of recorded death although the destructions to infra and Agri products in Catanduanes were similar to the destructions brought by Yolanda in some areas of Leyte?



The sure answer is PRE-EMPTIVE EVACUATION. The APSEMO-Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office-PDRRMC long established before RA 10121 has been at the forefront in ensuring that people within the danger zones of the very active-spewing lava Mt. Mayon commits themselves by training and drilling people of pre-emptive evacuation from time to time and mostly on emergency cases. All the towns and Legaspi city knew what to do in case of an emergency, calamity, or disaster caused by lahar that accumulates in the slopes of the volcano and flows down together with rain water to lower areas of Albay.

Aside from the usual drill, the NDRMMC ensures that other provinces through moral suasion, training, drills, and memorandums abide by the practice of pre-emptive and forced evacuation if necessary, especially to hard-headed residents of high-risk areas.



In November of 2006, ST Reming (Durian) with 250kph wind battered the Bicol region and typhoon-induced lahar killed 655 in Albay alone. Reming flattened Catanduanes, Guinobatan, Camalig, and Daraga.

Dr. Cedric Daep, multi-Gawad Kalasag awardee, and his previous Boss Congressman Salceda are a potent tandem with one ultimate goal, that is, when they call for a pre-emptive evacuation, people must evacuate else they perish since APSEMO has no rescue group they can call upon, and believing that pre-emptive evacuation is the best disaster preparedness measure most applicable to the ever lahar-spewing Mayon. The present Governor Francis Bichara, is also well-grounded when it comes to risk reduction and management.



In Quezon, Typhoon Winnie in 2004 killed 176 in REINA area with 55 missing and buried the towns in the mud. Glenda in 2014 brought death to 10 persons mostly killed by toppled trees, walls, or posts.

ST Rolly, rolling through the province of Quezon beginning from San Andres and San Francisco, two of the towns of Quezon still reeling from TS Quinta starts to reduce strength after two landfalls. We are lucky indeed that ST Rolly did not choose its former forecast track because if it did what happened to Catanduanes could have happened in Quezon. Luck is with us because if it passed through Northern Quezon, it could cause numerous deaths as well since the houses that were destroyed by the landslides in Real, were now in greater number than the previous years prior to Winnie. Most houses destroyed by the raging flood are now standing proud in the same exact location before the massive flood of 2004.

In the province of Quezon and the whole Region 4A (CALABARZON) pre-emptive evacuation became a by-word during typhoons, RDRRMC knowing fully well the history of Quezon and nearby provinces during strong typhoons was on high alert and issued red warning. Governor Danilo Suarez pre-positioned rescue units, relief goods and assets in the four districts providing assurance to LGUs of the province' support. Pre-emptive evacuations of high risk residents were also undertaken early on. These actions netted zero casualty in the province despite a super-typhoon category.

By the way, I hope we learned our lessons well, or is it, or again back to the drawing board?