Typhoon Koppu Death Toll Rises; More Flooding Ahead for Philippines, Government Warns

The death toll from Typhoon Koppu has climbed to at least 48 people since the storm made landfall in the Philippines Sunday morning, local time. Although the heavy rain threat is over, runoff from earlier in the week continues to pose a flood danger for many parts of the country and rain continues to fall. 

"Although what's left of the system is moving slowly away from the northern Philippines, light to moderate rain is still falling in some areas," says weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen.

Koppu was downgraded to a remnant area of low pressure Wednesday morning local time, but the Philippine government is warning citizens that the flooding from the storm will persist for days.

Massive rainfall totals have been reported in the northern Philippines, where water has flowed down the mountains and into villages, the BBC reported. The floods left many residents stranded on the roofs of their homes, awaiting rescue, the report added.

As of Wednesday evening, more than 100,000 people are still in evacuation centers, reports the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

(MORE: What We Expect Koppu to Do Next)

Now, the government is working diligently to ensure residents don't return to their homes yet, as another round of expected rain could trigger more deadly flooding.

"They think it is safe already to go back to their communities but we are preventing them right now," President Benigno Aquino told the BBC. He also declared a calamity for the Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, the report added.

At Least 48 Killed, Many Injured or Displaced

At least nine people died and six were injured in multiple landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region Monday and Tuesday, Philippine officials reported.

A 6-year-old girl died after falling into a creek in Bambang municipality Sunday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Additional fatalities included two deaths due to cardiac arrest after landslides in Tinoc municipality, two young men swept away by swift waters in Buguias and Tineg municipalities and a woman who died from electrocution in Moncada municipality. 

A teenager was killed Sunday in suburban Quezon city after being pinned by a fallen tree. Four others were injured in the incident and three houses were damaged. A concrete wall collapsed in Subic town, killing a 62-year-old woman and injuring her husband, according to Nigel Lontoc of the Office of Civil Defense.

In Casiguran, Aurora province, where the storm made landfall, virtually all of the buildings and infrastructure sustained damage, according to Rappler. Officials said two other nearby towns, Dinalungan and Dilasag, were cut off from the outside world. Tuesday evening, the Philippine government confirmed one death in Dinalungan, saying 26-year-old Armando de Leon died of multiple injuries due to falling debris Sunday.

According to Latino Fox News, Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali reported two people drowned in the city of Palayan. They were found floating in floodwaters, Inquirer.net reports.

(MORE: A Record Year for Cat. 4 and 5 Hurricanes/Typhoons) 

Another man was killed by a landslide Sunday when he went to check on his farm in the mountain town of Bakud in Benguet province, the NDRRMC said. Two other men drowned in Nueva Ecija, the report added.

Nine others died when a mortoboat capsized in rough seas between Iloilo and Guimaras Sunday afternoon, the Inquirer reported. In a separate incident, the NDRRMC said one person died and 26 others were rescued when a motorbanca capsized in choppy waters near Surigao City. Those deaths occurred in the central Philippines, which were only indirectly affected by the storm, and the government did not count the those fatalities toward its typhoon toll.

Lontoc also stated that three fishermen who were missing at sea were rescued off northern Bataan province, and three other missing people were found in an evacuation camp in Aurora's Baler town.

The AP reported that 65,000 villagers have been displaced in the typhoon's path, including in towns prone to flash floods and landslides.

According to a tweet from the Philippines Red Cross, a child was swept away and reported missing in Nueva Vizcaya. 

The NDRRMC is asking those in need of rescue to tweet the hashtags #LandoPH or #RescuePH along with their name, location and contact information for assistance.

Flash Flooding Threats; Landslides

As of Wednesday evening, at least four landslides have occured in the Ilocos region and the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippine officials report.

La Union province was affected by heavy flooding after strong waves, generated by Lando, damaged a seawall in San Fernando City, GMA News Online said. Officials urged hundreds of residents in Barangay Ilocanos to evacuate, with some families staying in evacuation centers. 

Residents of multiple low-lying towns in Pangasinan province were asked to evacuate, as reports said the Agno River could flood in the early hours of Tuesday, ABC-CBN News reported. 

Local police and military officials worked Sunday to rescue those trapped in flooded villages throughout some of the nation's hardest hit provinces. Both Aurora and rice-growing province Nueva Ecija were among those swamped by floodwaters.

(MORE: The 9 Worst Things You Can Do During a Flood Emergency)

Flooding in Nueva Ecija forced residents onto their rooftops Sunday afternoon, reports ABS-CBN News. Certain areas were so inundated that rescuers were unable to reach residents. 

A road in Valdefuente village, Cabanatuan City was impassable except for loaders, firetrucks and military rescue trucks as of 10 p.m. Sunday, according to Rappler. Rescue vehicles were seen cutting through the water throughout the night to reach hundreds of residents waiting for rescue in flooded areas.

Two hospitals, Premiere Medical Center and Eduardo L. Joson Memorial Hospital, have been breached by flood waters and have been the target of several rescue operations already, according to Nueva Ecija provincial government employee Bobby Balagtas.

Many villages further down this road are under water, says Balagtas. Aduas Central, Aduas Sur and Aduas Norte, in particular, experienced head-high floods, leaving many residents stranded on their roofs until help arrived.

Residents who sought shelter in evacuation centers have been cautioned by disaster officials not to return to their homes yet. The large amounts of rainwater accumulated in the mountains will not start coming down into the lowlands until at least Tuesday afternoon, which will likely cause more flooding in areas that have already been inundated.

Though it caused widespread damage, the rainfall from Typhoon Koppu provided much-needed water to several dams still suffering from the effects of El Niño, according to a situation report from the United Nations. The Angat Dam, which supplies a majority of Metro Manila's water needs, saw an increase of 7.2 meters in its water level.

Crops Lost to the Storm

In areas where farming is a way of life, Koppu has been devastating for crops. Vice Mayor Henry Velarde of Nueva Ecija's Jaen town was briefed on the damage and told the AP via telephone that the fields are in bad shape.

"Our rice farms looked like it was ran over by a giant flat iron," he said. "All the rice stalks were flattened in one direction."

(PHOTOS: Images of Typhoon Koppu's Destruction)

Residents were forced to flee the storm while leaving their poultry and other farm animals behind, in many instances. Much of the area's rice crops, which were expected to be harvested in a few weeks, have been destroyed.

Erwin Jacinto, a resident of Nueva Ecija's Santa Rosa town, told the AP that his farmland has been reduced to "nothing but mud" as Koppu continues to pound the area.

High Winds, Downed Trees and Power Outages

There have been power outages, downed trees and flattened crops in some of the top rice-producing areas of the country, according to World Vision teams in Luzon.

“We woke up early this morning to strong rain and howling winds. Already there are uprooted trees blocking roads,” said Joy Maluyo, emergency communications officer for World Vision. “In farm fields, the rice stalks are supposed to be ready for harvest next week. Unfortunately now, they’re drowned in water. Farmers are worried all their efforts are now wasted.” 

The NDRRMC reported complete power outages in 9 provinces, potentially affecting more than nine million people - equal to nearly 10 percent of the entire population of the Philippines and nearly 20 percent of the population of Luzon.

(MORE: The Latest on Typhoon Champi)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) sent out a severe weather bulletin Saturday at 11 p.m local time. Fishers have been advised not to venture past the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas, as well as the eastern seaboard of Mindanao. Residents in mountainous and low-lying areas of the providences that received the Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) have been alerted of possible flash floods and landslides.

Province-wide power outages were also reported in Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Apayao, and Kalinga.

CNN Philippines tweeted that high winds in the town of Baler had toppled trees and ripped the roofs off several buildings early on Sunday morning. Floods and small landslides made 25 roads and bridges impassable.

A total of 2,225 passengers were stranded in 6 districts of Southern Tagalog according to the Philippine Coast Guard as of noon local time on Saturday. The weather bureau PAGASA had placed Batangas under Signal No. 1 which automatically canceled all trips of passenger vessels.