Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Marce slams north coast

An aerial photo shows houses with blown-up roofs in Santa Ana town, Cagayan province, north of Manila on November 8, 2024 following Typhoon Marce (international name: Yinxing) hitting the province. (Photo by John DIMAIN / AFP)

Authorities cleared uprooted trees and debris in the northern Philippines on Friday as Typhoon Marce (international name: Yinxing) blew out to sea after pounding the coast overnight, ripping roofs from homes and forcing thousands to seek shelter.

But while nearly 30,000 people took cover in government-run facilities in the days and hours before Marce made landfall, there were no reported casualties from the typhoon, which came just two weeks after a major storm killed more than 150.

Marce’s 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour winds knocked down power lines, tore trees from the ground and shattered windows as it slammed into the country’s north coast on Thursday, the national weather agency, residents and rescuers said.

Officials reported 242.6 millimeters (0.80 ft) of rain dumped in a 24-hour window.

“Many trees were uprooted. There was also soil erosion in some areas. We are lucky they were not full-blown landslides,” said Cagayan province disaster chief Rueli Rapsing, whose agency has so far reported no casualties.

In the province’s Pamplona municipality, strong winds sent roofs flying through the air and residents scrambling for shelter.

“The fierce wind that we experienced last night was the strongest I’ve ever felt and seen in this town,” 35-year-old resident Patrick Maquiraya told AFP by phone.

“The roof of the house that was being constructed in front of our home suddenly went flying.”

Maquiraya said friends who sought shelter at a gymnasium had to relocate to a nearby church after strong winds shattered the building’s glass windows.

A live video seen by AFP on Thursday showed fierce winds blowing merchandise from store shelves in Santa Ana town, where the typhoon made landfall.

As of 8 am Friday, Typhoon Marce‘s center was estimated to be northwest of Laoag city and moving out across the South China Sea, according to the state weather agency.

Rapsing, the Cagayan disaster chief, said power lines were being restored as the province shifted into cleanup mode, with police, firemen and rescuers using excavators and other equipment to clear major roads.

Marce (Yinxing) is the third storm in less than a month to threaten the Philippines after Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) and Super Typhoon Leon (international name: Kong-rey) together left 158 people dead, the national disaster agency said, with most of that tally attributed to Kristine.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.

A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.