MANILA (UCAN): Catholic Church groups deployed teams to assist affected communities a day after the powerful Typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy) barreled through the Philippines on December 3, bringing with it powerful winds and heavy rain, leaving at least four people dead and displacing about half a million people, many of whom were ordered to leave their homes hours before the typhoon struck.
Videos posted on social media showed strong winds ripping off roofs and toppling power lines in the Bicol region, in the south of Luzon island, while Manila’s international airport was shut down for 12 hours.
Richard Gordon, a senator and chairperson of the Philippine Red Cross, said several schools and houses made of light materials were destroyed in Albay province.
“Our team is assessing the damage brought by Kammuri,” he said, adding that volunteers and staff were already on the ground monitoring and assessing the situation.
In the Diocese of Legazpi, one of the worst affected areas, the Church’s social action director, Father Rex Arjona, said teams had already assessed the immediate needs of people.
“The worst is over for us,” he said, adding that his office was still waiting for a complete picture of the situation. “We will go around as much as we can to get a more substantial assessment,” he said.
In the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro province, the Catholic Church’s radio station stopped broadcasting after its antenna was blown down by strong winds.
Father Silvino Enriquez, the social communications director of the vicariate, also reported that several electric poles fell causing blackouts in many areas.
Meanwhile, Father Toni Ryan del Moro, chancellor of Diocese of Gumaca, appealed for help for affected communities in Quezon province.
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“Let us prepare whatever we have to help, especially since Christmas is near,” he said, adding, “Let us give help to everyone, even those with different religions.”
The diocese had earlier opened its churches and convents for people affected by the typhoon.
“We prepared our parishes,” Bishop Victor Ocampo of Gumaca, said, adding that food and other relief items were distributed to disaster victims.
In a statement, environmental group Greenpeace called for “climate justice” in the wake of the destruction brought by Typhoon Kammuri.
Its onslaught coincided with the start of United Nations climate talks (COP25) in Madrid.
Greenpeace’s Southeast Asia executive director, Yeb Sano, said the meeting comes at a “pivotal time” when countries must acknowledge the need to stop “drilling, digging and burning fossil fuels.”
A United Nations report released in November revealed that the world is producing more fossil fuels than ever, inconsistent with the need to keep global temperatures from rising.
Sano expressed concern over the damage brought by Typhoon Kammuri, which has also destroyed livelihood sources for thousands of people living in low-lying areas.
“The Philippines is regularly battered with extreme weather events that are getting more severe with climate change,” he said.
“We are in a climate emergency. Now more than ever is the time to act,” he said as he called on world leaders to not simply deliver speeches, but instead “work together to protect our people.”
