At least 4 casualties reported, thousands of residents evacuated due to 'Tisoy'

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 3) – Tens of thousands of residents in parts of Luzon and Visayas were evacuated amid torrential rains and strong winds as well as storm surge threats from Typhoon Tisoy in their areas.

Four people have been reported dead from different provinces.

At least two casualties have been reported from Oriental Mindoro, Governor Bonz Dolor confirmed. The first, from Pinamalayan, was hit by a metal roof inside his residence. The second, from Baco, was hit by a falling tree while cleaning the front of his residence.

A construction worker from Ormoc City, Leyte was the lone casualty reported from the area so far. He was pinned down on the road when tree branches fell on him while he was on his way home on December 2.

The Office of Civil Defense of Bicol also confirmed the death of a 33 year old man in Limbamanan, Camarines Sur, who was electrocuted when a live wire fell and hit the metal roof of his house on December 2.

Local government agencies in Mimaropa (Marinduque, Romblon, Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro), Albay, Manila, Quezon, Sorsogon, northern Cebu, and eastern Visayas have implemented forced and preemptive evacuation.

Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso directed local authorities Monday to enforce a preemptive evacuation of those living in the city's coastal areas as Metro Manila is under signal no. 2, based on PAGASA's latest bulletin. This means that strong winds may bring light to moderate damage, particularly to structures and crops.

As of 2 a.m. Tuesday, 18,446 individuals from Mimaropa were forced out of their houses, according to the Office of Civil Defense of Region-4B. In Legazpi City, Albay, about 13,000 families whose homes were along the coastline, are in evacuation centers, Quezon Governor Danilo Suarez told CNN Philippines' Balitaan.

Dolor, on the other hand, said that 20,000 evacuees are in Oriental Mindoro evacuation centers due to the typhoon, with the areas of Pinamalayan, Gloria, Naujan and Baco being the most hit. National highways in the island are currently impassable.

Around 55,000 residents living in danger zones in Sorsogon are seeking temportary shelters, according to Governor Francis 'Chiz' Escudero.

The local government unit of Camarines Sur, meanwhile, ordered local chief executives and local disaster officials to implement a preemptive evacuation on Friday, a few days ahead of Tisoy’s entry to the Philippine territory, to prevent any casualty.

Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Villafuerte required local disaster authorities of the province in Bicol to ensure that no one will stay in low lying and coastal areas, near mountain slopes and coastal areas.

No power, water supply

Residents of typhoon-hit provinces are suffering from power outages, their local chiefs said.

Suarez said that some areas in Quezon have no electricity since yesterday, but other municapilities have intermittent electricity supply.

In Sorsogon, where heavy rains lasted for almost 12 hours, fallen towers and electrical posts forced the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to cut their power lines – which are now being restored, its governor said Tuesday.

‘Ang communication [services] nirere-establish pa lang namin. Nawala ito mga 11 p.m. kagabi,” Escudero said.

[We are on the process of re-establishing communications. The electricity was shut off around 11 p.m. last night.]

In Albay, power lines remain down it may take a few weeks to restore them. There is also no water supply, its mayor said.

Crop damage

Crops were damaged and many trees were uprooted due to excess rains brought by Tisoy.

Escudero told CNN Philippines said that the typhoon initially cost the local government unit of Sorsogon ₱667 million in damage.

Coconut and banana plantations in Quezon suffered extensive damage, Suarez said.

In Samar, the Department of Public Works and Highways advised motorists bound to Catarman or Calbayog to take Daang Maharlika Calbayog-Allen Road as road clearing operations due to toppled trees and rain-induced landslide and flooding are ongoing.

CNN Philippines stringers Briggit Dejon and Ron Lozano contributed to this story.