Typhoon grounds Philippine ferries ahead of holiday
30 Oct 2009 11:32:17 GMT Source: Reuters
(Writes through) MANILA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Thousands were stranded on the main Philippine island of Luzon on Friday as a typhoon approached, grounding ferries and stopping people from returning to their home provinces for the All Saints' Day weekend. Two typhoons in the last two months have killed more than 900 people, with parts of the capital, Manila, still under water. Mirinae, a category 2 typhoon, gained speed as it neared the mainland, shifting course to hit coconut-growing provinces south of Manila instead of rice fields in the north. It has maximum centre winds of 150 kph (93 mph) and gusts of up to 185 kph. "We expect the typhoon to make landfall in Quezon province before midnight on Friday and cut through the provinces just south of Manila," Prisco Nilo, head of the weather bureau, told reporters. The coastguard has grounded 45 ferries in key ports on Luzon, stranding thousands of people returning to provinces for All Saints' Day, when a fiesta atmosphere descends on cemeteries in the largely Roman Catholic country as relatives of the dead have picnics at grave sides. Residents in low-lying areas in the path of the typhoon Mirinae were ordered to evacuate. Troops across Luzon island were placed on standby a day after army trucks loaded with food and relief goods were sent to areas in the path of the storm. In late September, typhoon Ketsana dumped more than a month's worth of average rainfall on Manila and surrounding areas, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and damaging more than 180,000 tonnes of rice. About 80 percent of the capital was submerged by 2-3 metres of water. Nearly a month later, some areas remain flooded, causing a bacterial infection outbreak that has killed nearly 200 people. [ID:nMAN400133] Typhoon Parma hit the country's northernmost tip early this month, taking the death toll from the two typhoons to more than 920 people. Damage to crops and infrastructure was estimated at nearly 38 billion pesos ($796 million). (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Rosemarie Francisco)
An opposition supporter holds a candle to an electrical plug during a protest outside the state run electricity company's headquarters in Caracas October 29, 2009. Venezuela has suffered several serious blackouts ...
