Articles by Jim Gomez

Philippines Hunts for Crew of Ship Sunk by Typhoon Nock-Ten; AIR Comments

The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have …

Thousands Flee as Typhoon Bopha Blows into Philippines

Thousands of villagers fled from their homes Monday as a strong typhoon roared closer to the southern Philippines, prompting authorities to suspend sea travel in high-risk areas and halt gold-mining in a mountain town notorious for deadly landslides. President Benigno …

Flash Floods Kill More Than 530 in Philippines

As a storm that killed more than 530 in the southern Philippines raged outside the store where she works, Amor Limbago worriedly called home to check on her parents, but their cell phones just kept ringing and later went dead. …

Huge Floods in Manila as Typhoon Nesat Hits Philippines

Manila residents waded through waist-deep floodwaters, dodging branches and flying debris Tuesday as a powerful typhoon sent surging waves as tall as palm trees crashing over seawalls and submerging entire neighborhoods. At least seven people were killed, most of them …

8 Dead as Typhoon Nanmadol Slams Northern Philippines

Slow-moving Typhoon Nanmadol remained dangerous Sunday despite weakening as it struck the tip of the mountainous northern Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead and scuttling a visit by a U.S. Navy battleship group, officials said. Taiwan issued sea and …

Philippines Braces for Super Typhoon Megi; Hundreds Evacuated

Hundreds of wary residents fled coastal villages as emergency officials prepared for a powerful typhoon roaring toward the northeastern Philippines on Sunday. Typhoon Megi, the strongest of 10 storms so far to have affected the country this year, had sustained …

At Least 14 Reported Dead as Typhoon Mirinae Lashes Philippines

Typhoon Mirinae has battered the Philippine capital and surrounding provinces, still reeling from recent flooding, killing at least 14 people [IJ Note รข€” later reports have increased the death toll to 24] and sending residents of one town clambering onto …

Philippine Storm Ravages Manila; 100 Reported Dead or Missing

Rescuers plucked bodies from muddy floodwaters and scrambled to save drenched survivors on rooftops Sunday after a tropical storm tore through the northern Philippines and left 100 people dead or missing in the region’s worst flooding in more than four …

Investigators Focus on Oxygen Tank as Cause of Qantas Explosion

Australian investigators were focusing on the possibility that an oxygen cylinder could have exploded in mid-flight on the Qantas jumbo jet that made an emergency landing in the Philippines with a giant hole in its fuselage, officials said Sunday. Australia’s …

80 Dead in Philippine Typhoon; Over 700 Missing from Stricken Ferry

Worried relatives wept Sunday as they awaited news of more than 740 passengers and crew aboard a ferry that capsized as Typhoon Fengshen swamped the Philippines, killing more than 80 people and submerging entire communities. A rescue ship battling huge …