Typhoon Mawar exits PHL with 1 injured, 5 houses destroyed

TYPHOON Mawar, locally named Betty, moved out of the Philippine area Thursday, with one reported injured due to a fallen tree and over 30,000 people affected.

Of the 30,506 people affected across six regions, 1,039 were still staying in evacuation centers as of Thursday morning, according to the June 1 report of the national disaster management council.

A total of 28 houses were hit, including five that were totally destroyed and the rest partially damaged.

Reported damage in agriculture and infrastructure were minimal at estimates of P25,000 and less P68,695, respectively, based on the disaster management agency’s update.

Mawar, which reached super typhoon category before weakening into a typhoon as it entered the Philippines on May 27, did not make landfall and exited on Thursday, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

It was 685 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes as of 4 p.m.

The typhoon, the second to hit the country this year, brought rains and heavy winds to northern provinces as well as in central-western areas as it enhanced the prevailing southwest monsoon.

“In the next 24 hours, the enhanced Southwest Monsoon will bring occasional to frequent wind gusts over northern Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, Northern Samar and the northern portion of Samar,” PAGASA said in its 11 a.m. Thursday bulletin.

Mawar was heading northeastward over the waters near the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. — Marifi S. Jara