Residents described it as reminiscent of Super typhoon Yolanda (International name Haiyan), that tropical cyclone which devastated huge swaths of the Philippine archipelago packing winds 230 kilometers per hour last 2014.
Unlike Yolanda, typhoon Ursula did not leave thousands dead, millions homeless and scores of Filipinos injured. Â Reports from the National Disaster Coordinating council show Ursula still maintaining her 190 kilometer per hour winds as she leaves the Philippines with about eight persons dead and thousands of families spending their Christmas inside evacuation centers.
Panay residents who were the worst hit by the passage of Ursula, compared her with that of Yolanda who inundated the island for several hours, leaving the entire island submerged under several inches of floodwaters. Reports are coming that it is not just Panay which suffered from Ursula’s wrath— the entire Visayas right now is entirely drenched with heavy rains and several towns and cities are under water especially those close to the coasts after a series of storm surges hit the region.
Photos coming from several news outlets show the extent of devastation that Ursula had caused from yesterday’s onslaught until today, Christmas Day, 25 December 2019. Strong winds tore off rooftops from houses, trees uprooted and electric posts fell along highways and roads.
Electricity supply remains erratic, as workers scrambled for time to repair felled electricity posts mostly old logs.
As we write this, the whole province of Rizal, particularly Antipolo, Taytay, Tanay, and Cainta have been receiving huge amounts of rainfall since 4 pm today, 25 December 2019. While the weather bureau says Ursula is exiting the PAR by early morning of the 27th, still, the amount of rains she packs is still a very serious issue.
Pagasa has all lowered all typhoon signals as this is being written, yet the unusual volume of rainfall which befell Rizal for the latter half of Christmas Day today makes one wonder what it is that makes the Philippines a sight of a succession of disasters? Prior to Ursula’s coming, the Southern portion of the archipelago experienced a series of earthquakes which left scores dead and several people devastated as they see their homes destroyed and their entire lives disrupted.
