MANILA, Philippines – At least 3 people died while 6 went missing in separate incidents of flash floods and landslides ahead of the landfall of Tropical Storm Urduja (Kai-tak) on Saturday, December 16.
In a press briefing on Saturday, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said the interior department is still validating if more people died due to Urduja.
According to initial reports on the ground, fatalities include a fisherman who died in an unspecified incident, another who was killed from a landslide in Biliran, and a two-year-old child who reportedly drowned after a flash flood hit Mahaplag town in Leyte. (LOOK: Houses in Eastern Samar flooded due to Urduja)
The NDRRMC also said that 6 people are missing – 3 from Eastern Samar are still unaccounted for, while 3 remain missing from the landslide in Biliran.
NDRRMC spokesperson Romina Marasigan warned the public not to underestimate Urduja.
"Tropical storm ito pero ang pag-ulan na dala nito ay magdudulot ng malawakang pagbaha... Dahil matagal ito sa dagat ay nag-iipon ito ng tubig," Marasigan said. (It is a tropical storm but its rainfall can bring flooding because it lingered at the seas to store water.)
Jalad also urged coastal communities living in the eastern seaboards of the affected provinces. "A storm surge warning is raised over these provinces," he said.
The NDRRMC said that some 11,101 travelers remain stranded as 52 vessels in various ports were not allowed to sail. Meanwhile, more than 8,800 families have been evacuated to 141 evacuation centers by local government units.
Based on PAGASA's 2:30 pm advisory, Urduja is moving west at 15 kilometers per hour. It made landfall in San Policarpio, Eastern Samar, early Saturday afternoon. (LOOK: Urduja pummels Tacloban City)
Urduja was in a "quasi-stationary" state on Friday, December 15, which means it was barely moving at 10 km/h, and was just lingering in Eastern Visayas. The tropical storm dumped almost two months' worth of rainfall in the area, particularly in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) earlier activated the government's national disaster response operation to assist areas affected by the tropical storm. – Rappler.com