Super Typhoon/Typhoon RollyPH (#Goni), made its exit outside
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 8 pm on Tuesday, November 3.
It was described as the world’s strongest tropical cyclone
to hit so far in 2020. First barreling through the Bicol region as a super
typhoon last Sunday, November 1, first made landfall in the vicinity of
Bato, Catanduanes, then Tiwi, Albay, and the third landfall in San Narciso,
Quezon.
It was earlier expected to make landfall over Marinduque
based on PAGASA announcements but Rolly changed his course after decreasing strength as no longer a super typhoon after the San Narciso landfall.
Marinduquenos had earlier prepared for the worst after typhoon Quinta that preceded typhoon Rolly made landfall in Torrijos, Marinduque just days earlier on October 26 at 1:20 am leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Super typhoon Rolly was originally forecast to take a direct
hit on Marinduque based on weather forecasts.
But later weather forecasters showed that Rolly was expected
to continuously move west until it took a west southwestern dive which would
put it a few hundred kilometers away from the Bicol Region. It was to make
another turn pointing west northwest near the vicinity of Aurora, Northern
Quezon or Central Luzon, to make landfall in any of those areas.
But the typhoon changed its path again and after battering Bicol Region, specifically Catanduanes and Albay and weakened after making landfall in San Narciso in southern Quezon. Instead of making a landfall over Marinduque, by 2:00 pm it was seen over Mompong Pass north of the island-province then moved on to Tayabas Bay. It made its fourth landfall over Lobo, southwest of Batangas late Sunday afternoon, November 1.
Rolly’s wide diameter was estimated at 500 kilometers. This
meant that areas not directly hit by the typhoon’s eye such as Marinduque would
also experience similar conditions due to this wide reach.
On social media photos soon emerged of the devastation. The non-stop moderate or heavy rains over the already saturated mountains and lands around the island left more roads and bridges destroyed, more houses spared by Quinta are now destroyed or partially destroyed by Rolly. Clearly, flashfloods affecting rows of houses and buildings and landslides, damaged dikes are the most familiar sight.
Some initial reports on Typhoon Rolly in the province of Marinduque are the following:
32,620 individuals from 9,407 families were temporarily
housed in evacuation centers.
There was a total of 709 partially destroyed houses and 93
were totally destroyed.
Damage to agricultural crops in the affected area of 3,142
has. is Php 41-million.
Damage to roads and bridges in all of the six towns and interior
barangays is a common sight. Some schools and covered courts were not spared.
Photos not mine. Credit to the owners.
