Andrea Malosa loads bottled water into her shopping cart while buying supplies as a hurricane and a tropical storm approach the Hawaiian islands, in Mililani, Hawaii, August 5, 2014. CREDIT: REUTERS/HUGH GENTRY

(Reuters) - Hawaiians braced for a one-two punch from a pair of major storms headed their way on Wednesday, as Hurricane Iselle bore down on the islands packing high winds and heavy surf and Julio, tracking right behind, was upgraded to hurricane status.

Iselle was about 620 miles (997 km) east of Hilo, on the Island of Hawaii, at 11 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time on Wednesday and heading west-northwest at 15 miles per hour (24 km per hour) with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (144 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Iselle was expected to weaken into a tropical storm before reaching the islands on Thursday afternoon but forecasters said it could still bring high winds and 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-meter) surf to the tourist haven.

State officials warned of the potential for flash floods, mudslides and power outages and Governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation, freeing up funds and other resources, in anticipation of its arrival.

“We want to make sure we are doing everything possible to protect the public,” Abercrombie said in a statement released by his office. “This proclamation improves the state’s ability to respond quickly to any potential impacts from both storms.”

Meanwhile Hurricane Julio, upgraded on Wednesday from a tropical storm, was expected to roll into the islands as early as Saturday, also packing heavy surf and high winds. But officials said they were still focused on Iselle.

Residents stocked up on basics as authorities in Honolulu advised them to prepare a seven-day disaster supply kit. Shoppers waited in lines at supermarkets with carts full of bottled water, batteries and nonperishable food.

“With Hawaii’s remoteness, it could be as long as a week before a full disaster relief operation can be initiated,” the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said in a statement.

Honolulu teacher Gina Nakahodo said she had remained calm until she reached the empty water aisle of her local grocery store early on Tuesday.

“We’ve had so many storms that have passed us by, but with these two back to back you begin to worry. Then all of a sudden the aisles are empty and there’s no water and it makes your heart pound a little,” Nakahodo said.

She said she talked to a couple visiting from California and told them everything was going to be OK. “But in the back of my mind I’m wondering, ‘what’s going to happen?’” she said.

The Coast Guard warned of heavy weather by Thursday, with the two hurricanes expected to generate extreme sea conditions, storm surge and surf of 10 to 15 feet throughout the island chain.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch from early Thursday to early Saturday, with Hurricane Iselle expected to bring heavy rains to the islands.

Public schools would be closed on Thursday on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Island of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Department of Education said.

(Reporting by Malia Mattoch McManus; Additional reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, Daniel Wallis in Denver and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt, Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech)

CREDIT: REUTERS/CHRIS HELGREN

(Reuters) – Two people were killed in Ecuador on Tuesday after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital of Quito, with eight others wounded and rescue workers still seeking to free others trapped after the tremor.

The National Risk Control Agency said the earthquake triggered a landslide at a quarry in the Quito area that killed two people who worked there, adding that firemen were searching for three others.

“Obviously the landslide was caused by the tremor, but there was already weakness there due to illegal mining … or quarries being exploited improperly,” President Rafael Correa told reporters in the port city of Guayaquil.

Separately, the mayor of Quito reported that only one person died in the landslide and that a 4-year-old boy was killed in another part of the city when sacks of rice fell on top of him.

Social media showed images of dust clouds that had formed after the tremor as a result of shifting earth.

The city’s main airport returned to normal operations after earlier halting flights as a precautionary measure to evaluate its infrastructure. The temblor snarled traffic in the city of 1.6 million and led startled office workers to stream out of buildings.

“We could really feel it. The first thing I did was leave (the building) with my colleagues,” said Teresa Salazar, 45, who works at an imports business in northern Quito. “There was nothing major to report, but we were all very nervous.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said the moderate quake was only 4.8 miles (7.7 km) deep, with its epicenter located 14 miles northeast of Quito.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, Yuri Garcia and Sandra Maler, writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Mohammad Zargham, G Crosse and Ken Wills)

An aerial view where a private jet carrying Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos, who was running third in polls ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election, crashed in Santos August 13, 2014. REUTERS/A Tribuna de Santos/Nirley Sena

BRAZIL – Isang Cessna airplane ang bumagsak sa coastal city ng Santos, Miyerkules ng umaga.

Nasawi ang lahat ng sakay ng eroplano kabilang na si Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos na magsasagawa sana ng election campaign.

Ayon sa ulat, papalapag na ang eroplano ngunit nag-swerve ito at bumagsak sa residential area bunsod ng masamang panahon.

Si Campos, 49 taong gulang ay dating governor ng Pernambuco state at naging federal law maker noong 1998 hanggang 2003.

Consistently third rank umano ito sa election poll survey. (UNTV News)

A sadhu or Hindu holy man stands on a boat near a submerged hut on the flooded banks of river Ganga after heavy monsoon rains in Allahabad August 9, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/JITENDRA PRAKASH

INDIA — Umabot na sa 180 ang bilang ng nasawi sa malawakang pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa sa Nepal at northern India bunsod ng walang tigil na pag-ulan

Ayon sa National Emergency Operation Center, apat na helicopter na may lulang relief goods at medical workers ang ipinadala sa mga apektadong residente sa western Nepal.

Nasa limang daang libo naman ang lumikas sa Uttar Pradesh state sa India.

Nananatili ang mga ito ngayon sa mga paaralan at government building na ginawang makeshift relief camps.

Samantala, tuloy naman ang pagiikot ng mga paramilitary soldier upang tumulong sa paglilikas sa mga biktima ng flashflood at mudslide. (UNTV News)

Sa pagsubaybay ng Philippine Coast Guard, sumailalim ang UNTV News and Rescue Team sa limang araw na Safety, Rescue and Survival Techniques Training upang mapag-ibayo ang kasanayan ng grupo sa paglilitas ng buhay sa panahon ng tag-ulan at sa iba’t-ibang anyong tubig. (WEBSTER MOLDEZ / Photoville International)

MANILA, Philippines – Matapos sumailalim sa Basic Water Safety and Rescue Training ng UNTV News and Rescue Team na pinangunahan ni Kuya Daniel Razon sa pakikipagtulungan ng Philippine Red Cross (PRC) noong nakaraang taon, agad nasabak sa aksyon ang grupo sa paglikas sa mga residente sa Roxas District, Roces, Quezon City na na-trap sa kanilang bahay dahil sa mabilis na pagtaas ng baha dulot ng malakas na pag-ulan sanhi ng habagat.

Sa pagnanasa ni Kuya Daniel na madagdagan pa ang kaalaaman sa pagtulong sa kapwa, muling sumailalim sa mas mataas na antas ng pag-aaral sa water rescue ang mga reporter, cameraman, driver, nurse, emergency medical technician at medical first responders ng UNTV News and Rescue Team.

Pinangunahan ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ang limang araw na safety, rescue and survival techniques training na ginanap sa La Mesa Ecopark sa Quezon City at sa Morong Star Beach Resort sa Bataan noong nakaraang linggo.

Kabilang sa mga itinuro ng PCG ang tamang ehersisyo upang mapalakas ang katawan ng mga rescuers, gayundin ang iba’t ibang paraan ng paglangoy, gaya ng freestyle, breast stroke, side stroke, survival back stroke.

Itinuro rin ng coast guard ang mga paraan paano makatatagal sa ilalim ng tubig at mabisang techniques para sa mas matagal at malalayong paglangoy.

Kasama rin sa pinag-aralan ay ang basic rope and rescue techniques, open-water survival techniques, water threading, at river crossing o ang tamang pagtawid sa ilog na may malakas na agos kasama ang ini-re-rescue. (MADZ MILANA / Photoville International)

Bukod sa kaalaman sa paggamit ng rubber boat, ibinahagi rin ng PCG ang tamang paraan ng pagayos, sakaling tumaob ang sinasakyang rubber boat.

Sa huling araw, tinapos ng mga participants ang limang araw ng training sa pamamagitan ng one-mile swim o paglangoy sa dagat sa distansya na isang milya.

“Inenhance natin yung lakas natin sa pagse-save sa tubig at saka survival skills. Yung 5 days na training na yun covered a lot of things but one thing is definitely sure when the rainy season comes the TMBB team will be ready for whatever disaster na dumating sa atin ngayon,” pahayag ni Jeffrey Santos, Operations Manager ng UNTV Rescue.

“Ang adbokasiya ni Kuya Daniel sa kanila na ang scoop basta tayo may isasalba tayong buhay that’s what our aiming The Glory To GOD,” dagdag pa nito

“Dun sa adbokasiya ni Kuya Daniel na Tulong Muna Bago Balita, kumbaga general term yung TMBB so any emergency dapat matuto yung mga kasama matuto kami as reporter, yun kasi ang pinaka-purpose ni Kuya Daniel na adbokasiya na news team sa atin na matuto ng ibat-ibang klase ng rescue,” saad naman ni Benedict Galazan, Host ng QUAT Program at Senior Correspondent ng UNTV News.

“Tumutok kami sa lahat ng bagay na 5 days na yan mula sa kanilang mental capability, physical capability saka emotional capability so pinagsama-sama namin yun binigyan namin sila ng senaryo saka training na ngayon lang nila naranasan,” saad naman ni PO2 Arnel D. Alejandro, PCG Trainor.

Ayon sa Philippine Coast Guard, mahalaga na patuloy ang isinasagawang pag-aaral sa kaalaman sa pagsagip sa buhay, hindi lamang sa mga rescuer kundi sa lahat dahil pagdating ng sakuna, mas mabuti ang palaging nakahanda. (Bernard Dadis / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Natagpuan na ang bangkay ni Maiko Eleva Bartolome kahapon ng umaga, Huwebes, ang nalalabing estudyante ng Bulacan State University na hinahanap matapos na tangayin ng malakas na agos ng Sibul river sa San Miguel, Bulacan noong Martes (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Umakyat na sa pito ang kumpirmadong patay sa nangyaring trahedya sa field trip ng mga estudyante ng Bulacan State University sa San Miguel, Bulacan noong nakaraang Martes.

Ala-7:40 ng umaga kahapon, Huwebes, nang marecover ng mga otoridad ang bangkay ng estudyanteng si Maiko Eleva Bartolome, 25 anyos.

Ang bangkay ni Maiko ang pinakahuli sa pinaghahanap na nakasama sa trahedya.

Papauwi na sana ang mga estudyante galing sa field trip sa Mallub Cave at kasalukuyang tumatawid sa ilog ng Sibul, San Miguel Bulacan, nang biglang lumakas ang agos at tumaas ang tubig sa ilog na nagmula sa bundok Manalmon.

Kasama si Maiko sa pitong estudyante na tinangay ng malakas na agos sa ilog.

Kinilala ang bangkay ng anim pang estudyante na sina Helena Marcelo, Michelle Ann Bonzo, Sean Rodney Alejo, Mikhail Alcantara, Jeanete Rivera, Madel Navarro at pam-pito si Maiko Eleva Bartolome.

Dalawa naman ang nanatili pa ring nagpapagaling sa Bulacan Medical Center na kinilalang sina Thea Hernandez, at Mary Danielle Cunanan.

Nagpaabot naman ng pakikiramay ang pamunuan ng BSU sa lahat ng mga naulila ng mga nasawing estudyante.

Samantala, pinaratangan naman ng ama ng isa sa mga biktima ang pamunuan ng unibersidad na may pagkukulang sa isinagawang field trip.

“Tatlo lang ang teacher, 45 ang laman ng isang bus,180 ang estudyante, 3 ang tour guide, 1 is to 30 ang equivalent, dapat na check nila ng maaayos, wala naman akong laban sa BSU dahil dyan nagaral ang kapatid ko,” pahayag ni Harold Marcelo, ama ni Helena Marcelo.

“Alam naman nilang tourist spot yung lugar at alam naman nilang madaming namatay na noon sa lugar na yun wala man lang mga pulis at rescue,” dagdag pa nito.

Ayon naman kay Mariano De Jesus, presidente ng Bulacan State University, bumuo na sila ng komite na mag-iimbestiga sa nangyaring trahedya.

Bukod pa rito ang komite na mag-aasikaso sa lahat ng tulong na ipagkakaloob sa mga magulang ng biktima.

“In this horrible time, BSU is offering immediate assistance to the fullest to the bereaved families. The university humble best efforts, full support expenses ang ibibigay ng paaralan. In response to this event, a crisis committee was created conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy and will take decisive and appropriate measure for that.”

Kahapon, personal na pinuntahan ng presidente ng BSU ang burol ng mga nasawing estudyante.

Nauna rito ay ipinagbawal na ng pamunuan ng unibersidad ang pagsasagawa ng field trip.

Ipinagbawal na rin ni Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado ang maligo sa ilog na pinangyarihan ng trahedya. (Nestor Torres / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Damage to a downtown building is seen after an earthquake in Napa, California August 24, 2014. CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM

(Reuters) – A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked wine country north of San Francisco early on Sunday, injuring more than 100 people, damaging historic buildings, setting some homes on fire and causing power outages around the picturesque town of Napa.

The quake, the biggest in the region in 25 years, jolted many residents out of bed when it hit at 3:20 a.m.. It was centered 6 miles (10 km) south of the city of Napa, which is located about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.

There were no known fatalities, but three people were seriously injured, including a child who suffered multiple fractures after a fireplace fell on him, local fire battalion chief John Callahan said. Six fires broke out, including one that consumed six mobile homes, he said.

Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa said it had treated 120 patients injured in the quake, which was strong enough to be felt throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

“They say it went for 50 seconds. It felt like 50 minutes. I was just too terrified to even scream,” said Patricia Trimble, 50, the owner of an antique store. She rushed to her store in central Napa and found the front window blown out, cabinets on their sides and merchandise littering the floor.

Graphic on the Napa quake: link.reuters.com/tud72w)

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, putting all state resources at the disposal of his Office of Emergency Services.

Despite the force of the quake, it ranks as only moderately strong.

California, which sits along a series of seismic faults, is forecast to experience a much more powerful earthquake at some point, but scientists do not know when it might come or how strong it would measure, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Don Blakeman, said.

“Usually when people talk about ‘The Big One,’ they’re talking about something on the order of a magnitude 9, which of course is tremendously more powerful” than Sunday’s quake, he said.

The biggest impact was centered around Napa, a famous wine-producing region and a major tourist destination in northern California.

Brick facades gave way in the historic section of downtown Napa, a city of 77,000, and bricks fell off a second floor corner of the courthouse, which showed cracks. On the main street, masonry collapsed onto a car.

One building housing winery tasting rooms had to be closed to tourists, and the floors of many wine stores were stained red from the contents of broken wine bottles.

Tyler Paradise, general manager of Cult 24 wine bar in Napa, estimated his business lost $50,000 worth of bottles that spilled out of cabinets and littered the floor.

As dawn broke, merchants were on the streets sweeping up debris and boarding up windows.

State emergency officials said Sunday afternoon that 90 to 100 homes in Napa were “red-tagged,” meaning they were not safe to enter.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said most of downtown Napa had been cordoned off as crew assessed building damage. City officials said all schools would be closed Monday so that buildings could be checked for structural damage.

Police in the nearby city of Vallejo said the initial assessment of damage was in excess of $5 million, and one building on Georgia Street with eight residential units was evacuated because of structural concerns.

Around the region, emergency crews worked to extinguish fires in mobile homes, close water main breaks, clean up broken glass and fix power outages.

By mid-afternoon, 20,000 to 25,000 people were still without power, down from 70,000 after the earthquake hit. “Right now, things are stabilizing a little bit,” said Ghilarducci.

Napa City Manager Mike Parness said it could take a full week before the city was fully restored.

“We’re seeing people coming together and helping people and getting buildings back on line as soon as possible,” Parness told a midday news conference.

“WOKE US ALL UP”

USGS said the epicenter of the quake was 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the town of American Canyon, on the northern edge of the San Francisco Bay.

It was the largest to hit the Bay Area since the Loma Prieta quake in 1989, which killed 63 people and caused $6 billion in property damage. That quake measured 6.9, while the famous one that leveled San Francisco in 1906 measured 7.8.

“It was long. I think it was the biggest one since I felt the 1989 quake,” said Stephanie Martin, 47, a nursing assistant in Oakland, which sits just across the bay from San Francisco.

“Nothing tipped over, thank God. Rolling back and forth. Just woke us all up,” she said.

John Parrish, state geologist with the California Department of Conservation, said the quake most likely occurred along the West Napa Fault in Napa County.

Throughout Sunday, 50 to 60 after-shocks hit the area, the largest clocking in at a 3.6 magnitude.

Parrish said it was unlikely that a larger earthquake was yet to come, but he warned that it was likely that the area could experience smaller after-shocks for the next couple of days.

Structures damaged in the quake would be dangerous to enter, especially during after-shocks, he said.

“This is a good time to remind everyone that we live in earthquake country. None us are immune to any of this,” said Parish, urging the public to “resupply earthquake kits.”

(Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz and Robin Respaut; Writing by Peter Henderson, Dina Kyriakidou and Eric Beech; Editing by Leslie Adler)

An unidentified woman walks past damage to a downtown building in Napa, California August 24, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/JIM CHRISTIE

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Nagdeklara na ng state of emergency si California Governor Jerry Brown matapos ang magnitude 6.0 na lindol na naramdaman kaninang madaling araw sa northern California.

Sa lakas ng lindol, ilang gusali ang napinsala sa paligid ng Napa, Sonoma at Santa Rosa bukod pa sa mga naitalang sunog bunsod ng lindol.

“We have probably 100 plus gas leaks, power lines down, medical calls are in the neighborhood of about 80 plus at this time. Queen of the Valley Hospital has been inundated with patients all related to the trauma related incidences after the earthquake. One major incident of a fireplace falling on a young child. A young person is in critical condition, has been flow out for a neuro-center,” pahayag ni John Callahan, Operations Chief ng Napa Fire Department.

Bukod dito ay nagkaroon din ng ilang pagbaha sa lugar dahil sa mga nasirang water pipe.

Ayon kay Jack La Rochelle, Director ng Napa Public Works, “The big thing that we’re looking at right now from a public works standpoint is the water main system, our whole water system. There’s been a reported 30 water main leaks or breaks, a lot of them in the Brown’s Valley area which is west of town and that’s to be expected. That’s in a geologic area that’s more susceptible to damage.”

Sa ulat ng US-geological survey, aabot sa 15-libong residente ang nakaranas ng matinding pagyanig partikular ang mga nakatira sa Napa, ang sentro ng lindol.

Sa kasalukuyan ay umaabot na sa mahigit isang daan ang bilang ng mga iniulat na nasaktan, habang nasa 15-libong residente naman ang walang kuryente sa northern California.

Samantala, sinabi ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na sa ngayon ay wala pang silang ulat na natatanggap na may mga Pilipinong nasugatan sa lindol.

Mahigit tatlong daan at walumpung libong pilipino ang kasalukuyang namamalagi sa San Francisco Bay Area.

Huling nakaranas ng malakas na lindol ang San Francisco Bay Area noong 1989. (Christie Rosacia / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

A car damaged by bricks falling during an earthquake is seen next to a downtown building in Napa, California August 24, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM

(Reuters) – The strong earthquake that jolted residents of California’s historic Napa Valley wine country out of their beds in the wee hours on Sunday caused insured property losses likely to run in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but the region’s economic losses will be several times that amount, experts said on Monday.

The magnitude 6.0 quake, the biggest to hit California’s Bay Area in 25 years, struck before dawn on Sunday near Napa, injuring more than 200 people and damaging dozens of buildings in the picturesque community northeast of San Francisco.

At least 49 buildings in Napa, a town of 77,000 residents, were “red-tagged” as unsafe to enter, including the Napa Senior Center and the local courthouse, and that figure was expected to rise as additional structures were inspected, officials said.

The quake struck just as the grape-harvesting season is getting under way in Napa County, a significant wine-producing area that generates thousands of jobs in the region.

Wineries closest to Napa reported the most serious losses, but the full extent of damage had yet to be assessed, said Nancy Underwood of the Napa Valley Vintners Association.

In the town of Napa, a number of building facades crumbled in the historic district, and the numerous wine shops were strewn with broken bottles. Most of the buildings red-tagged were damaged despite having been retrofitted to better withstand quakes, officials told a news conference.

Disaster modeling firm CoreLogic estimated that total insured economic losses could range from $500 million to $1 billion, though the company acknowledged “a fair amount of uncertainty” around those numbers.

Roughly a quarter to a half of that projection could come from residential losses, CoreLogic said, noting that $1.8 billion in insured claims were paid to policyholders after the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1989.

The Insurance Information Institute in New York likewise estimated that insured quake damage would probably measure in the hundreds of millions of dollars, though overall economic losses will likely run several times higher.

The difference is because only about 6 percent of homes in the Napa area are covered by earthquake insurance, said Robert Hartwig, president and economist at the institute.

WINE COUNTRY KNOCKED SIDEWAYS

In Napa’s wine country, businesses were grappling with the effects of the quake.

“Everyone is working hard to get business back to normal as quickly as possible,” the Napa Valley Vintners Association said in a statement, adding that some wineries sustained damage to barrel storage areas, production equipment and wine inventories.

At the Saintsbury winery, about a mile from the epicenter, co-founder Richard Ward said the start of his harvest would be likely postponed “for a couple of days.”

No quake-related fatalities were reported, but the emergency room at Napa’s Queen of the Valley Medical Center treated 208 patients hurt by the tremor, most for minor injuries, county emergency operations spokeswoman Nikki Lundeen said.

Local battalion Fire Chief John Callahan on Sunday said three people were listed as seriously injured, including a child who suffered multiple fractures after a fireplace fell on him.

“Civilian casualties were small. It could have been so much worse,” fire department representative Mike Randolph said.

Six fires erupted, apparently from severed gas lines, including one blaze that destroyed six mobile homes, he said.

Some 600 properties in town remained without water on Monday and several streets were closed due to debris. Area public schools were also closed.

Power was initially knocked out to some 70,000 homes and businesses, but was restored by midday on Monday, Pacific Gas & Electric spokesman Jeff Smith said. He said crews were going door to door checking that all gas installations were safe.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, putting state resources at the disposal of his Office of Emergency Services. The quake was felt throughout the Bay Area, with residents nearest the epicenter reporting severe shaking that lasted nearly a minute.

More than 90 percent of people living in Napa, Sonoma and Fairfield – all located less than 15 miles from the epicenter – were jolted awake by the tremor, according to the company Jawbone, which makes a popular health-tracking wristband.

The tremor was the largest earthquake to hit the Bay Area since the Loma Prieta quake in 1989, which killed 63 people and caused $6 billion in property damage.

(Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting byDeepa Seetharaman  in San Francisco and Fiona Ortiz  in Chicago; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Ang lumubog na MV Super Shuttle Roro 7 sa Manila Bay nitong Linggo. (Philippine Coast Guard Photo)

MANILA, Philippines – Wala pang nakikitang inidkasyon ng oil spill ang Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) mula sa lumubog na MV Super Shuttle Roro 7 sa Manila Bay nitong Linggo ng gabi.

Ayon kay PCG Spokesperson Cmdr. Armand Balilo, sa oras na bumuti ang lagay ng panahon ay magpapadala ng divers ang coast guard upang makita ang pinsala sa barko.

“Ang babantayan natin dito yung langis na maaring tumagas at saka the same time yung mga barko na dadaan siya hazard to navigation pa.”

Sa kabila ng naturang insidente, ligtas naman ang lahat ng crew ng lumubog na barko.

Tatlo sa 15 crew ng RoRo vessel ang nakauwi na sa kanilang bahay dahil wala namang tinamong pinsala sa katawan, habang dinala naman sa Coast Guard Medical Service ang iba pa.

Ayon sa PCG, pito sa mga crew ng lumubog na barko ang nailigtas nila sakay ng isang life raft malapit sa US embassy, ang 7 ay lumangoy patungong Quirino Grandstand na nakahawak lang sa mga floating debris, habang isa naman ang nailigtas ng isang sasakyang pandagat.

Sa ngayon ay sinisimulan na rin ang koordinasyon upang maialis ang barko sa lugar.

Samantala, patuloy pa rin ang search and rescue operations ng Philippine Coast Guard katuwang ang Philippine Navy at Philippine Air Force sa tatlo pang pasaherong nawawala mula sa lumubog na Maharlika II sa Southern Leyte.

Ayon sa PCG, nakausap na rin nila ang kapitan ng barko at ilan sa mga pasahero bilang bahagi ng ginagawang pangangalap ng impormasyon subalit magsisimula ang pormal na imbestigasyon kapag natapos na ang paghahanap sa mga nawawalang pasahero.

Sinabi ni Balilo na sa ngayon ay may nakita nang pagkakamali ang PCG dahil sa mahigit 100 nailigtas mula sa barko, gayong nasa 50 lang ang nasa manifesto.

“Yung discrepancy sa manifest may order na si Vice Admiral Isorena na isama sa imbestigasyon kung bakit hindi siya inilagay sa manifesto lahat bagama’t yung pronouncement nung kapitan yung mga drivers at mga pahinante ay hindi sinama kaya nagkaroon ng discrepancy. Ganunpaman ayon sa regulasyon ng MARINA dapat lahat yun ay nadoon sa manifesto.”

Mula Liloan sa Leyte patungo sanang Lipata sa Surigao ang RoRo passenger vessel. (Victor Cosare / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Ayon sa PHIVOLCS, ang Mayon ay nakapagtala ng 142 volcanic quakes at 251 rock fall ngayong araw, mas mataas kumpara nitong mga nakaraang araw. (PHOTOVILLE International / Argie Purisima)

MANILA, Philippines – Magpapadala ng mga medical team ang Armed Forces of the Philippines sa mga evacuation center sa Albay matapos na mailikas ang lahat ng mga residenteng nakatira sa mga lugar na sakop ng 6-kilometer permanent danger zone ng Bulkang Mayon.

Ayon sa Southern Luzon Command ng Philippine Army, dalawang team na binubuo ng mga doktor at nurse ang maglilibot upang matiyak ang kalusugan ng mga evacuee.

Batay sa tala ng SOLCOM, aabot sa halos 5,700 pamilya o mahigit 22-libong residente ang inilikas patungo sa mga evacuation site.

Samantala, una nang nagpatupad ng checkpoints at chokepoints ang Philippine Army upang masiguro na walang turista o residente ang maaaring makapasok sa danger zones. (UNTV News)

Ang lubog na pamayanan sa Banaba, San Mateo, Rizal dahil sa pag-ulang hatid ni Bagyong Mario nitong Biyernes, September 19, 2014. ( Photoville International / Mark Hirah Adalia)

RIZAL, Philippines – Malaking bahagi ng lalawigan ng Rizal ang lubog ngayon sa baha dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng tubig sa mga ilog partikular sa San Mateo River.

Sa tala ng Rizal provincial government, umaabot na sa mahigit isanlibong pamilya ang nanunuluyan sa mga evacuation center sa San Mateo at inaasahang tataas pa ito dahil marami pa ang na-trap sa baha at hindi pa nare-rescue.

Hindi rin maaring daanan ng lahat ng uri ng sasakyan ang Marcos at Sumulong Highways sa Antipolo City gayundin ang Imelda Avenue at Ortigas Avenue extension kaya maraming pasahero ang stranded at minabuting bumalik na lamang sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan.

Samantala, isang landslide rin ang naitala sa Brgy Bagong Nayon, Antipolo kung saan isang bahay ang natabunan ng lupa.

Muntik pang matabunan ng gumuhong lupa ang lalaking nakatira dito ngunit agad naman siyang nasagip ng mga opisyal ng barangay at kasalukuyan nang ginagamot sa Antipolo District Hospital.

Sa bayan naman ng Sta. Cruz ay dalawang bahay ang nasira din ng landslide subalit wala namang nasaktan.

Bukod sa landslide at baha, isang lalaki rin ang tinulungan ng UNTV News and Rescue Team katuwang ang Antipolo rescuers matapos makuryente habang ginagawa ang isang bahay sa Vermont Subdivision.

Ang 24-anyos na biktima na kinilalang si Dondon ay sinasabing bigla na lamang nangisay matapos umano itong makatapak ng live wire.

Samantala, isinailalim na sa state of calamity ang bayan ng Cainta dahil sa malawakang pagbaha at kanselado na ang pasok sa lahat ng antas ng mga paaralan sa buong lalawigan.

Sa ngayon ay nagsasagawa na ng relief operations ang lokal na pamahalaan para sa mga naapektuhan ng Bagyong Mario. (Garry Ybabao / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Kinansela na ng Philippine Cost Guard (PCG) ang biyahe ng lahat ng uri ng mga sasakyang pandagat ngayong araw ng Biyernes dahil sa masamang lagay ng panahon.

Sa tala ng Philippine Cost Guard, umabot na sa sa 2,480 mga pasahero sa Albay at Batangas Port ang stranded sa ngayon.

Nasa 254 rolling cargos rin ang hindi pinabiyahe at pitong barko ang pansamantalang humanap ng mapagkukublihan.

Nananatili namang naka-heightened alert ang PCG.

“Kaninang umaga bandang 8 oclock heightened alert na ang Philippine Coast Guard meaning all of our units should respond to this kind of weather yung mga barko ay nakaready kung sakaling magkaroon ng maritime incident,” pahayag ni PCG Spokesperson Cmdr. Armand Balilo.

Dagdag pa nito, posibleng umabot hanggang bukas ang mahigpit na pagbabantay ng coast guard sa mga pantalan at karagatan.

“Sa ganitong klaseng mahirap na mag-venture pa sa dagat at mangisda dun sa marine forecast magpapatuloy ang ganitong panahon bukas.”

Ilang mga passenger vessel na rin ang pinigilang maglayag mula sa Manila Port papuntang Visayas dahil sa malakas na hangin at alon sa dagat. (Nel Maribojoc / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Ang paglilikas sa mga residente sa Tumana, Marikina City nitong Biyernes sa kasagsagan ng pananalasa ni Bagyong Mario. (PHOTOVILLE International)

MANILA, Philippines — Umakyat na sa 11 tao ang naitalang patay, habang 12 naman ang sugatan matapos ang pananalasa ng Bagyong Mario sa bansa.

Dalawa rin ang napaulat na nawawala matapos na maanod ng malakas na agos ng tubig.

Sa ulat ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), hanggang ngayong September 22 ay tinatayang aabot sa 258,976 pamilya o katumbas ng 1,160,050 katao ang naapektuhan ng Bagyong Mario.

Nasa 30, 266 pamilya pa rin ang nananatili sa mga evacuation centers.

Bukod dito, nakapagtala din ang NDRRMC ng 19 insidente ng landslides at dalawang maritime incidents.

Sa ngayon ay nasa 18 mga kalsada at 6 na tulay pa rin ang hindi madaanan matapos masira ng bagyo, habang nasa 379 lugar sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa ang lubog pa rin sa tubig baha.

Dalawang bahay din ang naitalang nasira dahil sa bagyo.

Samantala, tinatayang aabot naman sa P48,476,165 ang halagang nasira ng bagyo sa agrikultura, habang P95,590,000 sa imprastraktura.

Sa ngayon ay nakapamahagi na ang DSWD ng 36, 900 food packs sa mga nasa mga evacuation center sa Region III, IV-A, NCR at Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Nakapamahagi na rin ang Department of Health (DOH) ng mga gamot,hygiene kits, kumot, banig at mga first aid kit na nagkakahalaga ng mahigit sa tatlong milyong piso.

Sa kasalukuyan ay apat na lugar ang nasa ilalim pa rin ng state of calamity kabilang na ang Cebu City, Marikina City, Cainta, Rizal at Ilocos Norte.

Ayon kay OCD Public Affairs chief Mina Marasigan, malaki ang naitulong ng kooperasyon ng publiko sa mababang bilang ng casualty sa Bagyong Mario.

“Ang mahalaga dito kasi ay makita ang kahalagahan na magkaroon tayo ng preparedness measures para talaga matugunan ang pagbaba ng casualty count.”

Ayon sa NDRRMC, sa ngayon ay patuloy pa rin ang relief efforts ng iba’t ibang sangay ng pamahalaan sa mga nasalanta ng Bagyong Mario. (Joan Nano/ Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: Pagbahang dulot ni Bagyong Mario nitong nakaraan Biyernes sa Kalakhang Maynila. (MOSQUITON ISACAR / UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Dumipensa ang Malakanyang sa mga kritiko nito na nagsasabing walang silbi ang mga flood control project ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Ito ay dahil na rin sa mga naranasang mga pagbaha sa kalakhang Maynila nitong mga nakaraang linggo dulot ng Bagyong Mario at habagat.

Ayon kay Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, ito ay dahil hindi pa nakukumpleto ang flood control projects ng gobyerno para sa mga critical area ng Metro Manila na nagkakahalaga ng limang milyong piso.

Aniya, posibleng sa susunod na taon pa mararamdaman ang magandang resulta ng mga nasabing proyekto.

“Target date of completion for all sinasabi ni Secretary Singson is by August of next year mararamdaman na daw po natin yung luwag.”

Pangunahing target na masolusyunan agad ng DWH ay mapaluwag ang mga daanan ng tubig at maalis ang mga nakabarang basura sa mga estero, gayundin ang pagpapalaki sa mga makikitid na drainage, at rehabilitation ng mga pumping stations sa kalakhang Maynila.

Ang mga proyektong ito ay bahagi ng flood management masterplan ng administrasyong Aquino para sa Metro Manila at mga kalapit na probinsya.

Paliwanag pa ng Malakanyang, aabutin rin ng limang taon ang paglilikas sa mga pamilyang nakatira sa mga estero sa Metro Manila na nagsimula pa noong 2011.

“Dun sa informal settlers families living in dangerous areas kasama dyan dun sa mga waterways, of course hindi natin sila agad agarang maililipat dahil iintayin pa nating maitayo yung mga paglilipatan, pero nasimulan na rin natin yun,” pahayag pa ni Valte. (Nel Maribojoc / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) soldiers and firefighters carry an injured person near a crater of Mt. Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures in this September 28, 2014 photo taken and released by Kyodo. REUTERS/Kyodo

(Reuters) - Thirty-one people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano that erupted a day earlier, catching hundreds of hikers unawares as it belched out clouds of rock and ash.

The deaths on Mount Ontake, 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, were the first from a Japanese volcanic eruption since 1991.

Police said the 31 were found in “cardio-pulmonary arrest”, but declined to confirm their deaths pending a formal examination, as per Japanese custom. Public broadcaster NHK and the Kyodo news agency later reported that four, all male, had been confirmed dead.

An official in the area said rescue efforts had been called off due to rising levels of toxic gas near the peak, as well as approaching nightfall.

Hundreds of people, including children, were stranded on the mountain, a popular hiking site, after it erupted without warning on Saturday, sending ash pouring down the slope for more than 3 km (2 miles.)

Most made their way down later on Saturday but about 40 spent the night near the 3,067 meter (10,062 feet) peak. Some wrapped themselves in blankets and huddled in the basement of buildings.

“The roof on the mountain lodge was destroyed by falling rock, so we had to take refuge below the building,” one told NHK national television. “That’s how bad it was.”

More than 40 people were injured, several with broken bones.

Earlier, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency had said authorities were trying to confirm the whereabouts of 45 people.

It was not clear whether those 45 included the 31 people found in cardio-pulmonary arrest.

The volcano was still erupting on Sunday, pouring smoke and ash hundreds of meters into the sky. Ash was found on cars as far as 80 km (50 miles) away.

Volcanoes erupt periodically in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active nations, but there have been no fatalities since 1991, when 43 people died in a pyroclastic flow, a superheated current of gas and rock, at Mount Unzen in the southwest of the country.

Ontake, Japan’s second-highest volcano, last erupted seven years ago. Its last major eruption was in 1979.

Satoshi Saito, a 52-year-old hiker who climbed Ontake on Saturday and descended less than an hour before the eruption, said the weather was good and the mountain, known for its autumn foliage, was crowded with people carrying cameras.

“There were no earthquakes or strange smells on the mountain when I was there,” Saito, who usually climbs Ontake several times a year, told Reuters. He also said there were no warnings of possible eruptions posted on the trail.

“But a man who runs a hotel near the mountain told me that the number of small earthquakes had risen these past two months, and everyone thought it was weird,” Saito said.

ENVELOPING BLACKNESS

Video footage on the Internet showed huge grey clouds boiling towards climbers at the peak and people scrambling to descend as blackness enveloped them. NHK footage showed windows in a mountain lodge darkening and people screaming as heavy objects pelted the roof.

“All of a sudden ash piled up so quickly that we couldn’t even open the door,” Shuichi Mukai, who worked in a mountain lodge just below the peak, told Reuters. The building quickly filled with hikers taking refuge.

“We were really packed in, maybe 150 people. There were some children crying, but most people were calm. We waited there in hard hats until they told us it was safe to come down.”

Flights at Tokyo’s Haneda airport suffered delays on Saturday as planes changed routes to avoid the volcano, but were mostly back to normal by Sunday, an airport spokeswoman said.

Japan lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped band of fault lines and volcanoes circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean, and is home to 110 active volcanoes.

One of these, Sakurajima at the southern end of the western island of Kyushu, is 50 km (31 miles) from Kyushu Electric Power’s Sendai nuclear plant, which was approved to restart by Japan’s nuclear regulator earlier in September.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority has said the chance of volcanic activity during the Sendai plant’s lifespan is negligible, even though five giant calderas, crater-like depressions formed by past eruptions, are also nearby.

Kyushu Electric has said it will install new monitoring equipment around nearby calderas and develop plans to remove highly radioactive fuel to a safer site if the threat of an eruption is detected.

There are no nuclear plants near Ontake.

An official at the volcano division of the Japan Meteorological Agency said that, while there had been a rising number of small earthquakes detected at Ontake since Sept. 10, the eruption could not have been predicted easily.

“There were no other signs of an imminent eruption, such as earth movements or changes on the mountain’s surface,” the official told Reuters. “With only the earthquakes, we couldn’t really say this would lead to an eruption.”

(Reporting by Elaine Lies and Stanley White; Editing by Nick Macfie, Paul Tait and Mark Trevelyan)

Ang ilan sa mga evacuee sa Camalig North Central School sa Camalig, Albay. (Alan Manansala / Photoville International)

LEGASPI CITY, Philippines – Pinagtutuunan na ng pansin ng Albay Provincial Health Office ang sitwasyon ng mga residenteng pansamantalang nanunuluyan sa mga evacuation center dahil sa bantang pagsabog ng Bulkang Mayon.

Ayon sa mga natanggap na ulat ng Albay Provincial Health Office, maraming kabataan sa mga evacuation center ang malnourished o hindi nakatatanggap ng sapat na nutrisyon bunsod na rin ng kanilang kalagayan sa ngayon.

Sa inilabas na datos ng health office, nasa mahigit tatlong daan na mga bata ay moderately-acutely malnourished, habang ang natitirang mahigit isandaang bata ay nakararanas naman ng matinding kakulangan sa nutrisyon.

Sa kabila nito, nilinaw ni Provincial Health Officer Dr. Nathaniel Rempillo na karamihan sa mga batang ito ay nakararanas na ng kakulangan sa nutrisyon bago pa man dalhin sa mga evacuation center.

Ang kawalan aniya ng maayos na nutrisyon sa mga bata ay isa rin sa mga dahilan kung bakit sila nagkakasakit.

Sa ngayon ay may nakahanay nang programa ang lokal na sangay ng DOH para maibalik ang maayos na kundisyon at sigla ng mga bata.

Kabilang sa mga ito ang pagsasagawa ng feeding program at wash operations lalo na’t hindi rin sagana sa suplay ng tubig ang mga evacuation center.

Vitamin supplementation, feeding, syempre pag prepare mo din baka may mga bulate so kailangan mo mag deworm pati IEC’s mga magulang para pati tapos na sila sa program sa activity or program masu-sustain ng family na hindi na sila bumalik sa pagka malnourished,” saad ni Dr. Nathaniel Rempillo.

Ayon sa Albay government, mananatili pa rin sa evacuation shelters ang nasa 12-libong residente dahil sa nagpapatuloy na banta ng pagsabog ng Bulkang Mayon.

“Naka-code blue tayo at as you can see laging may tao dito sa operation center pati po sa evacuation centers nagdeploy tayo 300 persons na tinatawag “Nation AHEM” sa Albay health emergency management volunteers kung saan nandun sila sa evacuation centers 24/7 and their augmenting the local health workers,” pahayag pa ni Dr. Rempillo.

Ayon pa sa PHIVOLCS, bagama’t halos dalawang linggo nang mababa ang aktibidad ng bulkan, nagbabadya pa rin ito ng mas malakas na pagsabog kung pagbabatayan ang kanilang mga tala sa mga nakalipas na pagsabog ng Mayon.

Sa pinakahuling ulat ng ahensya, apat na rock fall events at dalawang volcanic earthquakes ang naitala, habang tumaas naman sa 1,265 ang antas ng ibinugang sulfur dioxide ng Bulkan Mayon sa loob lamang ng 24 oras. (Melody Miranda / Ruth Navales, UNTV News)

Volcanic smoke rise from Mt. Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, central Japan, September 30, 2014, in this photo taken and released by Kyodo. CREDIT: REUTERS/KYODO

(Reuters) - Search and recovery efforts for at least two dozen victims of Japan’s worst volcanic eruption in decades were called off on Tuesday due to worries about rising volcanic activity, including the chance of another steam explosion.

Hundreds of military searchers had been preparing to enter Mount Ontake by foot and helicopter to resume recovery of at least 24 people caught in a deadly rain of ash and stone after the peak erupted without warning on Saturday when it was crowded with hikers, including children.

Twelve bodies have been recovered from the 3,067-metre (10,062 feet) peak but at least 36 are feared to have died, with recovery hampered by high levels of toxic gas and ash piled hip-high in places on the still-erupting mountain. At least 69 people have been injured, 30 of them seriously.
“I just want to know something soon,” said Kiyokazu Tokoro to Japanese media. His 26-year-old son was on the mountain with his girlfriend and has yet to be found.

Increasingly strong volcanic tremors on Tuesday morning have raised fears that the peak could spew out more rock or even be heading towards another steam explosion, an official at Japan’s Meteorological Agency, which monitors volcanoes, told Reuters.

“The strength of the tremors increased late last night, diminished and then rose again early this morning. There’s the chance things could get even worse, so caution is needed,” said Yasuhide Hasegawa, at the agency’s Volcano Division, adding the chance of an explosion like Saturday’s was small but could not be rule out.

“This points to possibly increasing pressure due to steam inside the volcano, and if it exploded rocks could be thrown around, endangering rescuers,” he added.

The weekend explosion may have propelled rocks so violently they could have reached the speed of an airplane, said Kazuaki Ito, a volcanologist who surveyed Ontake after it erupted in 1979, its first eruption in recorded history.

“It is hard to know how the victims died. They may have been struck by rocks or inhaled ash,” he told NTV.

More than 800 rescuers were standing by and would head up into the mountain later in the day if things calmed down, said a firefighter waiting at rescue headquarters in the foothills as the peak spewed smoke and ash some 400 meters into the sky.

Hazards on the peak, transformed into an eerie moonscape by gray ash, are already numerous, ranging from ash flung up by helicopter blades to loose stones that make footing dangerous and toxic gas.

Most of the victims appear to have been found near a shrine at the narrow, rocky top of the peak, Japanese media said. They may include 11-year-old Akari Nagayama, who reached the summit earlier than the rest of a group that included her mother.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active nations. In 1991, 43 people died in a pyroclastic flow, a superheated current of gas and rock, at Mount Unzen in the southwest.

Ontake, Japan’s second-highest active volcano, last had a minor eruption seven years ago.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Michael Perry)

Rescuers walk after landing by Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) helicopter for rescue operations near the peak of Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, central Japan, October 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Joint Staff of the Defence Ministry of Japan

(Reuters) – The death toll from a Japanese volcano eruption rose to 47 on Wednesday, the worst in 88 years, after more victims were discovered on the ash-covered mountain.

Military searchers resumed a recovery operation with helicopters early on Wednesday a day after officials called off rescue efforts because of poisonous gas and fears of another blast.

The eruption of 3,067-metre (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake, 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, blanketed the summit with a deadly rain of ash and stone as it was crowded with climbers and hikers enjoying the autumn colors.

Police said earlier 48 people had been killed but later revised the toll down to 47. They did not say why they revised the toll but said more victims could still be on the mountain.

The toll exceeds the 43 people killed in a 1991 eruption in southwest Japan and becomes the deadliest volcano since a 1926 eruption on the northern island of Hokkaido, which killed 144 people, according to government data.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries. There had been no fatalities since the 1991 eruption of Mount Unzen, which caused a pyroclastic flow of superheated current of gas and rock.

Mount Ontake, Japan’s second-highest active volcano, had a minor eruption seven years ago. Its last major eruption, the first on record, was in 1979.

Hikers said there was no warning of Saturday’s eruption just before noon. Hundreds were trapped for hours before descent became possible later in the day.

(Reporting by Taiga Uranaka and Stanley White; Editing by William Mallard, Robert Birsel)

CREDIT: REUTERS/ISSEI KATO

TOKYO, Japan – Isa na ang nasawi habang dalawa naman ang nawawala sa pananalasa ng Typhoon Phanfone Sa Japan.

Ayon sa U.S Air Force, ang nasawi ay kabilang sa tatlong U.S airmen na tinangay ng alon sa airbase nito sa Kadena.

Pahirapan rin ang paghahanap sa dalawa pang nawawala dahil sa malalakas na alon dulot ng bagyo.

Alas-8 ng umaga nung Linggo nang mag-landfall ang Typhoon Phanfone sa Shizouoka Prefecture taglay ang lakas ng hangin na 164 kilometers per hour at tinatahak nito ang hilagang silangang bahagi ng bansa na may bilis na 45 kilometers per hour.

Tinatayang limampung libong residente na ang pinalilikas sa eastern Japan habang daan-daang flights; at maging ang serbisyo ng tren ay kinansela na rin  sa Tokyo dahil sa bagyo. (UNTV News)