Thread: Typhoon Goni Slams in Northern Philippines Killing Seven

MANILA – Typhoon Goni has toppled electricity transmission lines and trees as it triggered landslides and floods that left at least nine people dead in the northern Philippines, local officials say.

Seven people were killed while thousands fled to higher ground as powerful Typhoon Goni brought torrential rains to the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and floods, officials said Saturday (Aug 22).

Six people died in the highlands of Benguet and Mountain provinces after they were buried in rocks and mud. A man was killed in nearby Ilocos Norte province after he was hit by a falling tree, according to Alexander Pama, executive director of the national disaster council.

Two others were reported missing in flooded areas while four people were injured, according to a disaster council report. Roughly 1,200 people had been evacuated by Saturday, the report said.

Typhoon Goni was 140km northeast of the northern province of Cagayan on Saturday morning, with winds of up to 195kph, according to the state weather bureau.

In the northern province of Abra, two straight days of heavy rains caused a major river to overflow, governor Eustaquio Bersamin said. “We’ve been hit hard by rains. The Abra river has turned into an ocean,” Bersamin told DZMM radio.

At least six families were trapped in riverbank villages and will be rescued, he said. “The rains were much stronger than we expected,” he said.

The storm is the ninth out of an average of 20 that hit the Philippines each year and is now heading to Taiwan, the weather bureau said.

more Typhoon Goni Slams in Northern Philippines Killing Seven | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper

Been dark, cold, windy and rainy down here in South Luzon for three days - and we're nowhere near the storm.