At least 12 people have died and six more are missing since the landfall of Typhoon Koppu (Lando) in the Philippines Sunday morning. Flooding rains continue to pelt parts of the country with torrential downpours forcing many to flee to rooftops to wait for rescue.
Troops have been deployed to help residents, but are struggling to access more remote areas.
This slow moving storm is predicted to take days to leave the other which means thousands of residents still have days of life-threatening rainfall ahead. The AP reported that 65,000 villagers have been displaced in the typhoon’s path, including in towns prone to flash floods and landslides.
“As expected, Koppu has stalled near Luzon in the northern Philippines,” said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. “Although its winds will continue to weaken, heavy rain will drench the region into at least Tuesday, leading to more dangerous flooding and possible mudslides.”
Typhoon Koppu is the 12th storm to hit the Philippines this year. In 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst storms on record slammed the Philippines, destroying entire towns and leaving more than 7000 dead or missing.
A hospital built by the foundation of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow and his family along with the Christian organization CURE International has opened in the Philippines.
The ribbon cutting on the hospital took place in Davao City Friday. The hospital is going to focus on treating children who have orthopedic conditions according to CURE.
The hospital has been planned since 2012 and had been treating some patients since last year but formally opened this past week. The hospital features what is called “Timmy’s Playroom,” a place for the children to escape the seriousness of the hospital and “enjoy being a kid.” The room was decorated by the Tim Tebow foundation.
“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time,” CURE President and CEO Dale Brantner said. “After many years of prayer and much hard work, I am thrilled to be able to say the Tebow CURE Hospital is officially open! In this place, we will share the love of Jesus and bring physical healing to children and families who desperately need it.”
“The Tim Tebow Foundation is so honored to be working with CURE International and so many incredible donors to make this hospital a reality,” said Erik Dellenback, executive director of the Tim Tebow Foundation. “Tim, who was born in the Philippines, has always had great passion for this country and its amazing people.”
The Tebow CURE Hospital is the 12th hospital CURE International has helped open around the world.
The Philippines are still on alert for the weakening once-Super Typhoon Maysak. Its course is still set to make landfall on Luzon Island this weekend. Maysak will either be a tropical storm or on the verge of becoming one by the time it hits early Saturday.
This storm was at its peak intensity with 160 mph Category 5 Hurricane Winds on April 1st but is weakening slowly with strong wind shear as it makes its way to the Philippines. Power Outages and flooding are still a concern with this storm through Sunday evening.
Once exiting the Philippines, Typhoon Maysak which by then should only be a tropical storm system is not expected to strengthen as it enters the China Sea.
The South Pacific island of Vanuatu has been hammered by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam.
The Island has faced 165 m.p.h. winds from one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded east of Australia. The eye of the storm passed over Vanuatu on March 13th around 4:05 a.m., the first category 5 to make landfall since the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013.
Reports say that Efate Island, the most populated in Vanuatu, has suffered extreme damage from the storm. There has been no confirmed reports of deaths, injuries, or missing.
Port Vila, located on the southwest part of the island, did not get hit by the storm’s eye and was able to stay online throughout most of the storm’s move over the Island. The last recording sent by a weather station at the port showed almost 4.7 inches of rain from the storm.
Four tropical cyclones are currently spinning in the Pacific including one just off the western coast of Australia.
The capital of the Philippines was rocked Saturday by a 6.0 earthquake that struck in the early hours of the morning.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was centered 27 miles southwest of San Antonio, Zambales at 3:31 a.m.
A reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer said the quake was so strong it shook him and his son out of bed.
“The bed shook, the speaker fell and dogs barked,” Dennis Eroa wrote. “That was the first time I experienced that kind of quake here in Olongapo.”
Officials reported only minor structural damage throughout the region.
Seismologists say that the residents of the area were lucky that the quake struck so far underneath the sea bed that a tsunami was not created and damage on land would be minimal.
Tropical Storm Jangmi slammed into the Philippines leaving at least 31 people dead and seven people missing.
Jangmi made landfall with winds of 40 miles per hour and gusts of 50 miles per hour. Heavy rain fell on the southern part of the nation where the flooding took out bridges and highways.
Officials say most of the deaths took place on Tuesday when the rain created landslides and flash flooding.
Officials in Catbalogan City said that a dozen people were killed when a landslide buried two vans and six houses in the eastern part of the city. They said that voices are being heard in the vans and that rescue efforts are progressing.
A regional civil defense official told Fox News that 10 members of a family died when their creekside house was washed into the river by flash flooding.
In what is being called a new initiative to fight crime, all taxis in the Filipino city of Tagbilaran will be carrying Bible verses.
The law had been on the books for over 20 years but now the city is enforcing the law in an attempt to curb a wave of violence that was impacting commuters.
“This is the only city in the Philippines that has such an ordinance,” Samuel Belderol, who issues taxi licenses at city hall, told reporters. “We want the world to know that we are a God-fearing city and that these Bible verses help us draw closer to God. We only issue 3,000 licenses every year and each one must have a unique verse on it, no duplicate verses allowed.”
If a taxi driver fails or refuses to post the verse, they could lose their license.
City Council member Lucile Lagunay says the action has already shown a positive impact on the crime rate.
“With a Biblical message at the back of the units, commuters get to see the message every day and it helps in way to preserve the peace in our city,” she stated. “Everyday commuters get to see the biblical message on the tricycles and who want to think of crime when they see biblical passages everywhere.”
Former football star Tim Tebow, roundly attacked by anti-Christianists for the open displays of his faith in his life, has announced that a children’s hospital is opening in the Philippines.
The Tim Tebow Foundation said that the former quarterback has been working since 2011 to build and obtain the operating license from the Philippine Health Department. The hospital is already working to help impoverished children but will officially have a “grand opening” in spring 2015.
The five-story hospital was built in conjunction with CURE International, a non-profit that works to provide medical care for impoverished children. The hospital will have 30 beds, three operating rooms and a staff of over 50.
“I have always had a great love and passion for the Filipino people,” Tebow, the founder of the foundation, said in a statement. “It is so exciting to be able to provide healing and care for these incredibly deserving children halfway around the world.”
With the opening of the Tebow CARE Hospital, the group will now have 12 hospitals around the world to help children in need.
Officials are praising the fact only four people lost their lives from Typhoon Hagupit.
Over a million residents of the Philippines were evacuated ahead of the storm as officials put into place protocols created after the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.
“We saw that with preparation and being alert we prevented tragedy and harm, we took our countrymen away from harm,” added Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas. “It is sad to hear news of deaths, but this is very low, way below what the potential was.”
Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said that it’s obvious people learned lessons and put them into practice.
Over 7,300 people were confirmed dead or are still missing from 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan.
Jipapad mayor Delia Monleon revealed that floodwaters are preventing people from getting to their homes.
“Our problem is power, food is a problem because boats cannot leave,” Monleon told Christian Post. “It was flooded yesterday so we can’t leave to look for food.”
A major typhoon roared into the Philippines, leaving a dozen dead in its wake.
Typhoon Ramassun struck land with sustained winds of 93 miles per hour with gusts that topped 115 miles per hour. The storm knocked out power to most of the nation, flattened buildings and brought massive flooding to areas outside the nation’s capital, Manila.
Government officials said that the death toll is likely to rise because hundreds are missing in the wake of the storm. A family of four died when their home collapsed on top of them. A woman died when she was fleeing down the street and an electric pole fell on her.
Officials say the death toll will likely be lower because after last year’s devastating Typhoon Haiyan, residents took the warnings of a typhoon much more serious than in previous storms.
The storm moved through the country and headed toward Vietnam as a weakened storm. However, forecasters say the storm could strengthen again and cause major problems to southwest Asia.