In this photo taken on December 16, 2021, people stand inside a sport complex building whose roof collapsed at the height of Super Typhoon Odette in Dapa town, siargao Island, Surigao del norte province. (Photo by Roel CATOTO / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Bishop Antonieto Cabajog of Surigao on Monday asked for prayers and help as his province reels from the aftermath of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) as he remarked that calling the disaster a “super” typhoon is an “understatement.”
“Never in my entire life have I encountered such a typhoon,” Cabajog recalled in a message sent to CBCP News. “To say ‘super’ is an understatement.”
“Please continue to pray for the Diocese of Surigao,” he added.
Cabayog said Odette manifested its “super strength” around 1:00 p.m. and unleashed more strength and peaked around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.
“Blinding torrential rains and howling winds no man could take standing up hammered us for more than three hours,” he added.
Odette made its first landfall in Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte on Friday. It had a total of nine landfalls until it went out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday noon.
Leaving a trail of destruction in many parts of the country, Odette tore off roofs, uprooted trees, toppled concrete electric posts, wiped out crops and flooded villages.
At least 375 people were killed and 56 are missing nationwide so far, according to an Agence France-Press report, citing the Philippine National Police.
The bishop also called for help, saying that food and water are badly needed in the province.
RELATED STORY
Nat’l days of prayer for ‘Odette’ victims set for Christmas Day, December 26