TYPHOON CAUSES HAVOC

Chronicle (Levin), 29 December 1947, Page 4

TYPHOON CAUSES HAVOC

(N.Z.P.A.-

— Reuter

Philippines Disaster Grows In Magnilude

Covi/rtght) '

Received Sunday, 11 p.m. MANlliA, Dec. 27.' Tlie damage inflicted in the Philippines by the typhoon is now revealed to have been s'o vast that Generai MacArthur today offered any aid, needed for the republic's reeovery. Communications are still down in xnany areas, but most "of the destruction appears to have covered a strip on Luzon about 250 miles long from. Legaspi ' southeast of Manila to Jba on the west coast northwest of the capital. The Mayor of Legaspi, which has a population of 41,000. said the city was almost totally destroyed. Reports from Lucena, which is .th'e archipelago 's coconut capital, said hundreds of diomes there were wreclied and it would take at least a j-ear for the coconut plantations to recover. Santa Cruz, the capital of Laguna province, listed 80 per c.ent. of the "cjty's buildings destroyed and the estimated dam age in the province at more tlian 2,500,000 dollars. The Red Cross announeed that 500 houses were destroyed at Oatbalogan, the cap'ital of Samar. Press reports stated that 50 downtown buildings were burned in a wind-whipped fire at Tacloban, capital of Levte. The storm also eaused, widespread but not serious damage at Clark Field, the big Ameriean airbase 50 miles northwest of Mani.a. , In addition to the typhoon 's toll, rain and hoods wrecked a number oi bridges over ihe Pasig River and with uprooted trees blocked the railway. Todav the Manila railroad was endeavouring to locate two of its trains which have not reported since they left Bicol for Manila on Friday morning. 56 Persons Dead or Missing. The typhoon left at least 56 persons dead dr uuaccounted for. Of these the majority were aboard the Danish motorship Ivma which sank off ^amar. Miss ing persons from the Kina are estimated t t 46. The latest of.ioial death toll in Manila and nearby Quezon city is five and the Red Cross leported five persons missing :n Laguna province. Presidvnt Roxas doelared an emergency "holidav" throughout the republic -to work for reeovery from this fifth and most damaging typhoon to strike the island in two months. According to latest reports 32 of the 61 nersons aboard the Danish ship Kina are still missing. In addition to those picked up by tiie Mamuel Bakke five survivcs were washed ashore anu were taken to Catbalognn, the capital of ftamar. The first officer (Mr. Dalberg), one of the survivcrs, reported that evervone aboard - the Kina was able to get aboard the liferafts or floating wreckage before the vessel sank, Aircraft and salvage tugs which searched the waters around 8am:ir vesterday found no trace of oi t her liferafts or wreckage. The toll of dead and . missing as a result of the typhoon, including the Kina passengers, now stinds at 49 but communications. are still so disrupted that days will pass before a complete cheek is possible.