Philippines cleans up as Super Typhoon Man-yi leaves deadly trail

At least eight people are reportedly killed as sixth major storm hits the country in less than a month.

Storm-weary Filipinos have started clearing fallen trees and repairing damaged houses after Super Typhoon Man-yi, the sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in less than a month, battered the country and left at least eight people dead.

Man-yi significantly weakened into a severe tropical storm before making its way out about noon (04:00 GMT) on Monday.

According to the disaster management agency in the northern province of Nueva Ecija, rain brought about by Man-yi triggered a landslide, killing seven people and injuring three others.

In the eastern province of Camarines Norte, an elderly man was killed after his motorbike was caught in a power line during the storm.

The national weather service PAGASA had warned of a “potentially catastrophic” consequence from Man-yi. But the early evacuation and less-than-expected volume of rain softened its effect.

On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos said Man-yi’s aftermath “wasn’t as bad as we feared”.

Packing maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph) at its peak on Saturday, Man-yi slammed into the island province of Catanduanes before making a second landfall in the northern province of Aurora on Sunday afternoon.

Along its path, Man-yi uprooted trees, brought down power lines, crushed wooden houses, and triggered tidal surge, landslides and flooding. In the northern province of Isabela, flooding submerged part of the city of Ilagan.

Power outages across Catanduanes could last for months, provincial information officer Camille Gianan told the AFP news agency. “Most houses with light materials were flattened while some houses made of concrete had their roofs, doors and windows destroyed.”

The region encompassing Camarines Norte and Catanduanes is still recovering from huge flooding that killed dozens of people in October. In the coastal town of Baler in Aurora, cleanup operations were under way to remove felled trees and debris blocking roads and waterways.

“Most of the houses here are made of light materials so even now, before the inspection, we are expecting heavy damage on many houses in town,” disaster officer Neil Rojo said.

On average, the Philippines gets 20 storms and typhoons every year. But since the last week of October, six have hit the country, including four this month, which the Japan Meteorological Agency said was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951. The storms have killed at least 163 people and wiped out crops and livestock.