Wednesday, October 11, 2006
IRRI Continues to Repair Extensive Damage Caused by Typhoon
Los Banos (Philippines), 10 October: International Rice Research Institute continues to repair extensive damage caused last Thursday (September 28) by the worst typhoon in more than a decade to hit the world-famous agricultural research center.
IRRI’s home province of Laguna was devastated by Typhoon Xangsane (known locally as Milenyo), with the eye of category-4 storm passing directly over IRRI and its host town of Los Banos. “Our thoughts are with our neighbors and all those in the local community who suffered so much because of the storm, and who continue to suffer,” IRRI’s Director General Robert S. Zeigler said. “We are doing everything we can to help them.”
In Los Banos, the typhoon left 18 people dead, 20 people injured, 5 people missing, and more than 3,000 homes either partially or totally destroyed. In the neighboring town of Bay, 3 people were killed and 20 injured, and more than 16,000 homes affected (as of October 2). Particularly devastating was a landslide on the slopes of Mount Makiling– where some IRRI facilities also stand- which swept away several families and their homes.
With wind gusts of up to 160 km per hour and an estimated 112 millimeters of rain, the typhoon hit IRRI just as work was starting on Thursday morning. With the Institute already closed, most staff stayed home to protect their families and property, but some IRRI staff volunteered for emergency relief and rescue work.
Despite the widespread destruction around the Institute, Dr. Zeigler said the research campus escaped relatively lightly. “Some of the glasshouses were severely damaged, but the main research buildings, the gene bank, and the library did not suffer any significant damage, while our support services such as our Internet and telephone connections narrowly escaped major damage.”
IRRI’s home province of Laguna was devastated by Typhoon Xangsane (known locally as Milenyo), with the eye of category-4 storm passing directly over IRRI and its host town of Los Banos. “Our thoughts are with our neighbors and all those in the local community who suffered so much because of the storm, and who continue to suffer,” IRRI’s Director General Robert S. Zeigler said. “We are doing everything we can to help them.”
In Los Banos, the typhoon left 18 people dead, 20 people injured, 5 people missing, and more than 3,000 homes either partially or totally destroyed. In the neighboring town of Bay, 3 people were killed and 20 injured, and more than 16,000 homes affected (as of October 2). Particularly devastating was a landslide on the slopes of Mount Makiling– where some IRRI facilities also stand- which swept away several families and their homes.
With wind gusts of up to 160 km per hour and an estimated 112 millimeters of rain, the typhoon hit IRRI just as work was starting on Thursday morning. With the Institute already closed, most staff stayed home to protect their families and property, but some IRRI staff volunteered for emergency relief and rescue work.
Despite the widespread destruction around the Institute, Dr. Zeigler said the research campus escaped relatively lightly. “Some of the glasshouses were severely damaged, but the main research buildings, the gene bank, and the library did not suffer any significant damage, while our support services such as our Internet and telephone connections narrowly escaped major damage.”
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