Typhoon Opong Devastates Northern Samar Islands, Relief Operations Underway

Typhoon Opong wreaked havoc on two island municipalities in Northern Samar early Friday morning as it intensified while leaving the Samar mainland. The towns of Capul and San Vicente suffered extensive damage, especially in areas with predominantly lightweight housing.

Rei Josiah Echano, the province’s disaster risk reduction officer, reported that the devastation is so severe that no formal damage assessments have been submitted due to the collapse of communication networks and critical infrastructure.

"None, they can"t submit (a report) because these towns are flattened right now," Echano confirmed regarding the absence of official damage data.

In response, Northern Samar Governor Harris Ongchuan swiftly mobilized a team of emergency responders from the provincial health, social welfare, and disaster agencies to deliver essential aid such as food and shelter materials to affected communities.

"We will validate the data and sharpen our strategic interventions for recovery and rehabilitation," Governor Ongchuan stated.

San Vicente, a remote island municipality with a population of 9,260 as of the 2020 Census, is accessible only by a two-hour boat journey from Allen town. Capul, a historic fifth-class municipality housing 12,323 residents, lies about one hour from the mainland by motorized boat.

Jemmy Pedrola, chief weather specialist at PAGASA Catarman, detailed that Opong made landfall in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar, just before midnight Thursday. It then tracked through Catubig, Lope de Vega, San Isidro, and finally reached San Vicente early Friday morning, carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and moving at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

San Vicente Mayor Edgar Catarongan Jr. estimated that approximately 2,600 households in coastal barangays experienced severe storm impacts.

The provincial government has requested further relief support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development while distributing shelter kits provided by the Office of Civil Defense to assist displaced families.

On a broader scale, as of 3 p.m. Friday, the OCD Eastern Visayas reported that Typhoon Opong affected 7,575 families totaling 27,653 individuals across Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Leyte, and Biliran.

Currently, 1,204 families (4,260 individuals) are housed in 43 evacuation centers while 301 families (1,139 individuals) receive assistance outside formal evacuation sites.

Tragically, a drowning fatality was confirmed in Biliran province. Additionally, 12 people are missing following boat capsizes in Guiuan and Maydolong, Eastern Samar, caused by rough sea conditions.

One motorized banca traveling from Guiuan to Homonhon Island capsized between Manicani and Homonhon on Thursday, but all seven passengers were rescued the next day by the Philippine Coast Guard and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Guiuan.

Search efforts remain ongoing for five fishermen from Maydolong who have been missing since setting out to sea on September 23.