IN PHOTOS: Typhoon Rolly’s devastating aftermath
Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni), said to be the world’s strongest typhoon of 2020, pummeled parts of the Philippines over the weekend. It left more than two million individuals across 12 regions affected, at least 16 dead, and the entire Bicol Region without power in its aftermath.
The destructive typhoon made landfall in Catanduanes on Nov. 1 with maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour that ripped off houses, destroyed crops, and uprooted trees. It made two more landfalls the same day, namely in Tiwi, Albay, and San Narciso, Quezon respectively.
Torrential rains left towns partially submerged under water as rivers overflowed like in some parts of Guinobatan, Albay.
Learning from the destruction of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013, pre-emptive evacuations were made by local government units for residents in low-lying areas prone to storm surges and flash floods.
Those evacuated are temporarily housed in basketball courts and community halls, as they continue to observe safety protocols to minimize the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rolly eventually weakened into a tropical storm as it moved over the West Philippine Sea on Sunday evening, though the government is still continuing its assessment on the overall damage brought by the typhoon.