Two days after our first report, officials now put the human cost of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) at 114 dead with 127 still missing, most of them in Cebu after flash floods tore through riverside communities. Evacuations topped 200,000 nationwide, and crews say debris clearing is the main obstacle to search and relief.
What changed since the initial landfall
Cebu’s picture is clearer as waters recede: flattened homes, vehicles piled in streets, and long swaths of neighborhoods caked in mud. Authorities in Liloan and metro Cebu recovered dozens of bodies. On Negros Island, lahar-like flows from Kanlaon’s volcanic slopes buried houses in parts of Canlaon City. Across Western and Central Visayas, families have begun the slow clean-up while LGUs push to reopen roads, restore power, and reach isolated barangays.
Air and sea travel remain uneven as inspections continue on runways, ports, and approach roads. Market prices for fish and vegetables briefly spiked where routes were cut; DTI monitoring has ramped up to discourage overpricing while deliveries resume.
Where Typhoon Tino is headed next
By Thursday, Kalmaegi re-intensified over the West Philippine Sea and is tracking toward central Vietnam. Provincial authorities in Gia Lai and nearby areas prepared mass evacuations and flood defenses as forecasters warned of heavy rain, strong winds, and risks to coffee-harvest regions. Even with the center well west of the Philippines, trailing rainbands could still trigger landslides and localized flooding in saturated uplands.
Putting the damage in context
The toll from Typhoon Tino is severe for a mid-season system but below the country’s worst disasters of recent years. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 killed 6,300 people in the Philippines, and remains the benchmark for extreme loss of life. In 2021, Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) caused about 410 deaths and widespread destruction across Visayas and Mindanao. Tino’s impact, while far smaller than Haiyan and below Rai’s national toll, is concentrated and brutal in Cebu and parts of Negros, especially where sudden floods surged through urban creeks and river bends.
What to watch in the days ahead
- Accounting for the missing: Clearing clogged streets and river channels should accelerate search operations and family tracing.
- Power and water restoration: Utilities are prioritizing hospitals, evacuation centers, and dense residential clusters.
- Slope and river hazards: Keep away from steep gullies and swollen rivers even after skies clear; ground remains saturated.
- Livelihoods: Farmers and fisherfolk should coordinate damage reports for DA support; LGUs are compiling lists for cash aid and inputs.
This follow-up will be updated again if official totals change or if secondary hazards emerge from the trailing monsoon and the developing system east of Mindanao.
