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Typhoon destroys houses, leaves four dead in Philippines

Typhoon Parma slammed into the northeastern Philippines yesterday, killing four people, tearing roofs off houses and uprooting trees, but damage and flooding was much less than expected.

The strongest typhoon to hit the country since 2006 made landfall in the northeastern tip of the remote Cagayan province. The weather bureau said the storm would be back over the sea by early today.

The system brought rain across the main island of Luzon but not as heavy as feared, especially along the densely populated west coast where floods in and around Manila from Typhoon Ketsana seven days ago killed nearly 300 people.

Officials had feared rain would spark fresh floods in Manila because reservoirs and dams around the capital are full and the sewage system is inundated with mud and rubbish brought by last week’s deluge.

A storm signal posted for the capital region overnight was lifted, but officials warned nearly half a million people living in shelters after their homes were flooded last week to stay put.

“There is still a risk of rain,” Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on national television. “We ask the evacuees to stay one more night in evacuation centers.”

Fallen trees and floods cut off roads in Cagayan and neighboring Isabela province. Soldiers on rubber boats and armed with chain saws started to clear roads and rescue marooned communities, officials said.

“So many trees have been uprooted, blocking roads,” regional police chief Robert Damian told reporters. “Galvanized iron sheets from houses are flying all over and power and communications are also down.”

Some areas had been flooded, and four people were reported killed, officials said.

Arroyo declared a nationwide calamity on Friday to allow local governments to access emergency funds and cap the prices of essential goods. She also ordered troops to evacuate over 100,000 people from areas at risk from the typhoon.

Officials said some 5.5 billion pesos (US$115 million) in crops, mostly rice about to be harvested, were damaged by Ketsana last week. The damage to bridges and roads was estimated at 1.6 billion pesos.
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