Photos and videos of households submerged in floodwaters in the Visayas and Mindanao regions made rounds on social media following the onslaught of Typhoon “Odette” (International name: Rai).
Some provincial municipal governments and other affected Filipinos shared posts of the typhoon’s aftermath on their Facebook pages.
The provincial municipalities of Sibagat in Agusan del Sur and Bubong in Lanao del Sur posted photos of flooded areas within their areas due to Odette’s wrath.
A Cebu City-based publication called Sugbo.ph also posted photos of the damage at the Sugbo Mercado, a food park at the IT Park in the city.
Surigao City’s public information office, on the other hand, posted a video that showed the strong winds and heavy rainfall that lashed out at the capital.
Odette first made landfall over Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte on December 16.
A TikTok user named NJ Salcedo posted a video on Thursday that showed the knee-deep floodwaters in his house in Cagayan de Oro City, also one of the typhoon-affected areas.
Salcedo also played “River Flows in You” by South Korean pianist Yiruma on the piano.
“This might be the last time [I’m] playing my 20-year-old piano. Typhoon Odette please stop na (crying emoji),” the user wrote in the video.
@drnieljonBagyong Odette please stop na 😭 ##odette ##typhoonodette ##bagyongodette ##cagayandeorocity♬ original sound – NJ Salcedo
Based on its Facebook page, the Philippine Coast Guard is currently working with local authorities to conduct rescue operations in Cagayan de Oro and other communities devastated by the typhoon.
In its latest post, the PCG rescued nearly 200 residents at Barangay 26, Zone 6, Osmeña, Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday night.
The hashtag #OdettePH, and the words “ingat” and “amping” dominated conversations on Twitter Philippines during the wake of the typhoon. “Ingat” and “amping” mean “take care” in English.
Some Filipinos extended prayers for the safety of Odette victims.
Science organization Earth Shaker joined other users in sharing screenshots of emergency hotlines for those who needed rescue and assistance.
[RETWEET]
Help us to disseminate these emergency hotlines for Bohol and Cebu Province.
Be informed. Please tag or mention us for other emergency hotlines!
Mag-ingat po lahat. 🙏 #OdettePH pic.twitter.com/5orUcJpw1l
— Earth Shaker PH (@earthshakerph) December 16, 2021
Some entities also launched donation drives to distribute relief goods and other emergency aid to affected communities.
READ: Rundown: Donation drives for ‘Odette’ victims
In the latest weather bulletin at 8 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration advised that Odette is now over the Sulu Sea between Cuyo and Cagayancillo Islands.
It is moving westward at 25 kilometer per hour.
It also currently has “maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 235 km/h, and central pressure of 955 hPa.”
Weather forecaster Aldzar Aurelio also said in a radio interview that Odette has weakened after pummeling through the southern and central parts of the country.
“It has weakened as it crossed the mountains in the Visayas,” Aurelio was quoted as saying.
READ: ‘Odette’ weakens after pummeling Visayas
State meteorologists expected the storm to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility via Palawan by Saturday.