Typhoon Milenyo raises havoc at IRRI and surrounding communities

Powerful and rain-laden Typhoon Milenyo (international name: Xangsane) made a direct hit on IRRI Thursday, 28 September 2006, with the eye passing over in the late morning. While this storm did not pack the winds of Super Typhoon Rosing on 3 November 1995 (which many use as a benchmark of recent times), it carried much more rainfall, which made it particularly destructive.

Widespread flooding and many landslides occurred in and around IRRI in Laguna Province. Areas in Los Baños that had never experienced flooding in recent memory were inundated. Sadly, these resulted, at last report, in 20 deaths, 20 people injured, 6 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, with more than 16,000 homes affected (as of 2 October). Fortunately, no one in the IRRI community was killed or seriously injured. However, many staff members had their homes badly damaged.

Physical Plant Services (PPS) and the Emergency Rescue Team (ERT) had people prepositioned before Milenyo struck. These people worked courageously throughout the storm and after it passed. Roads were cleared quickly and right-of-ways along all major routes to the local hospital were quickly opened. The professionalism of IRRI’s crews and how they worked to reestablish security for the surrounding community, not only IRRI, were truly inspirational.

In a message to the IRRI BOT about the storm, Director General Robert Zeigler stated: “We can all be proud of the ERT and the Fire Brigade, which rescued seven persons from certain drowning at the height of the storm (see box on this rescue below). Their bravery was but one of many examples of the IRRI staff’s special commitment to excellence and service. This commitment—to go beyond normal expectations—is a hallmark of the culture and it is alive and well at IRRI.”

In a meeting this morning (3 October) with PPS, grounds, emergency, and farm staff, Dr. Zeigler personally thanked them for their efforts before, during, and after the storm.
Click here to view a brief video of Dr. Zeigler’s talk.

Although the Institute is prepared for typhoons, they will always cause some damage. The research campus escaped relatively lightly. The roofs of all the “glasshouses" made with polycarbonate sheeting (about 20% of the houses) were severely damaged, while the older glasshouses were undamaged.

The main research buildings, the Gene Bank, and Library did not suffer any significant damage, while the ITS and telephone systems narrowly escaped damage.

The Brent-IRRI primary school suffered serious water damage; however, PPS worked through the weekend with school staff to enable classes to resume Monday at the location. Some of the underground electric cables were damaged as floodwater entered some buried conduits.

The condition of our experimental fields after having been flattened by wind and fast-moving floods showed clearly why semidwarf rice varieties were so rapidly adopted by farmers. Not only do they yield well, but, after serious abuse by the elements, most modern varieties were standing once again nearly upright.

This is in stark contrast to maize fields at UPLB that were a few weeks from harvest and were absolutely and irreversibly flattened (see and click photo at right). Dr. Zeigler pointed out that there are some lessons here as we consider exploring crop diversification in typhoon-/cyclone-prone Asia.

IRRI Staff Housing (ISH) suffered the brunt of the damage, with several roofs partially stripped by the winds, with resulting water damage to the interiors. Several houses also suffered damage from falling trees. The Guest House roof leaked badly, damaging a significant part of the upstairs and causing a shutdown of Staff Housing Internet access for while the equipment dried out. Fortunately, no serious damage occurred to the recently replaced fiber optic network switches. The damage to the roofs and the leaks were unexpected as we had replaced all of the roofs within the last five years. Guests at IRRI were accommodated and eventually sent back to their home countries once the roads to the airport were passable and new bookings could be made.

The most serious, and possibly uninsured, effect of the storm was landslides along both sides of ISH. Many people may not even realize that ISH is perched on top of a narrow “V” between two deep ravines that have been cut by streams over the centuries as water drained off of Mount Makiling. During the storm, these “streams” turned into raging torrents. The result was serious land slippages on both sides of the ravines that border ISH. A large slip occurred by the Guest House, stopping only about 1 meter from the rear wall of the kitchen.

At this time, the Guest House is not in danger of sliding the 100 or more meters down into the ravine. Assuming there are no more serious rains or, as a worst case, typhoons, work crews should be able to stabilize the hillside. Several other places in the compound showed similar slippage that we should also be able to stabilize.

Many trees and large branches were down at ISH and on the UPLB campus and in surrounding residential areas. As a result, many power and telephone lines were down. Fortunately, all IRRI communication and power lines run through underground conduits and were largely unaffected. The damage to the electric grid in the area has been extensive. IRRI continues to run on emergency backup generators since midnight Wednesday (27 September). It may be several more days before power is restored in the region.

Click here to view a 3:18 video clip on the typhoon’s aftermath on campus by CPS videographer Joe Ibabao. Click here to view a slide show prepared by CPS photography. Staff on campus can click here to view additional photos and videos on the T: drive taken by a number of staff at the Research Center, ISH, and surrounding community. Click here to view a sample of the storm's intensity shot by Paul O'Nolan from his apartment window. Click here to view messages from IRRI’s friends. Click here for a video animation that tracked the storm from the Philippines into Vietnam and Thailand.

Click here to keep tabs on approaching Tropical Depression Neneng on the Typhoon2000.com Web site. Click here to see information about the 10 worst typhoons to hit the Philippines on the Typhoon2000.com Web site. Click here for an update of the aftermath of Typhoon Milenyo in the Philippines and elsewhere.

How you can help in the aftermath of Typhoon Milenyo

Milenyo caused considerable destruction and has affected scores of families. In Los Baños, the typhoon left 20 people dead, 6 people missing, and more than 2,000 homes either partially or totally damaged. In Bay, there are 6 people dead, 9 injured, and more than 2,000 families affected. The local social welfare office indicated that affected families need bottled water, canned goods, noodles, candles, rice, infant formula, blankets, used clothing, and medicine.

All these people need help. For those who wish to extend assistance, please drop by the Community Relations Office (CRO). Beginning today, CRO will be collecting donations, in cash and kind, to be given to affected IRRI employees as well as to the municipal governments of Bay and Los Baños to assist them in their respective relief operations. Just please indicate to whom we should give your assistance.

For additional queries, please contact Chat Ocampo at x2810, Lito Platon at x2883, or Johnny Goloyugo at x2824.
 

During the height of the storm, ERT and Fire Brigade to the rescue
From Safeguard rescue operation report

At around 0915 on Thursday morning (28 September), Safeguard Detachment Officer Vic Villamayor received a text message from Asst. Detachment Commander Raul Robide that immediate assistance was needed during the height of Typhoon Milenyo. Seven persons, including Safeguard employees Jimmy Costales (along with his wife Susan and their 1-year-old daughter), G. Napoleon Solitan, and Edmund Baeta, and boarding house resident Boyet Fuentes and owner Kapitan Alipon, were trapped in the boarding house (referred to as the “Kubo”) located along the IRRI perimeter fence.

Sonny Caballes, Safeguard detachment commander, and Mr. Robide then called the Emergency Rescue Team (ERT) members and asked them to prepare the necessary equipment, including ropes and lifebuoys. They proceeded to the area where the seven persons were trapped. The ERT initially used a Mitsubishi Pajero to approach the structure, but a flash flood had hit the area and the current was so strong that the vehicle could not get across. The IRRI Fire Brigade team was called for backup and they prepared their equipment and fire truck.

The fire truck was used to reach the MOU gate, which was the starting point from which to bring out the victims. The team had to cut the cyclone-wire perimeter fence at the back of MOU to gain better access. The rescuers used ropes and fire hoses to reach the victims (photo at right). Three fire hoses were laid alongside each other and pulled to the “Kubo” by the ERT, which had to cross the floodwaters on foot. The hoses were used as safety lines by the victims and rescuers to return to the fire truck at the MOU gate. The victims were delivered safe and sound with no casualties, injuries, or damage to their personal belongings. They were brought to the Fire Station to wait out the rest of the storm.

In addition to Safeguard security officers Caballes and Robide, those involved in the rescue were ERT members Joey Ebasco, Eduardo Salazar, Erwin Minga, Ernani Bayrante, Roilly Camayudo, and Salmiro Timbol; Fire Brigade members Jayson Estrellado, Edwin Dizon, Roger Cuevas, Elmer Garcia, and Larry Guevarra; and Hazardous Materials officers Pablo Erasga and Rodel Empalmado.
 

DG updates Institute on budget situation and its implications
for Strategic Plan/MTP

Because of cuts this year from three major donors to the CG system, USAID, Japan, and the EC, IRRI is facing a “nasty” budget deficit for 2006, reported IRRI DG Robert Zeigler during a meeting last Tuesday afternoon (26 September) with IRS, IRF, and NRS managers. “Hopefully, this is a temporary situation, but it will be prudent to do some belt-tightening now,” he said.

To get by, no staff retrenchments are being planned, but the Institute will have to dip heavily into its reserves, look to capture some salaries through restricted funds instead of using traditional unrestricted funds where the cuts are being made, and look seriously for new funding sources in Asia, particularly via private philanthropy.

“The deficit will have some implications for the 2007-09 Medium-Term Plan in that some activities planned for commencement in 2007 may be delayed to year 2 or year 3 of the MTP,” said Dr. Zeigler. “The interim leaders for the seven programs will be meeting to determine, by 13 October at the latest, what activities will be postponed.” continued
 

Drought Frontier Project Planning Workshop ongoing this week at IRRI


A planning workshop on the Drought Frontier Project is ongoing this week at IRRI, 2-4 October.

The workshop aims to assess the current status and future challenges facing rice cultivation in drought-prone environments; review the recent progress, breakthroughs, and the potential impact of drought research in rice and other tropical crops; identify priority research areas and state-of-the-art methodologies and approaches to address drought challenges; establish a research consortium and an integrated research strategy on drought resistance in rice.

Drought is the major constraint to rice production in rainfed areas across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with at least 23 million ha (20% of rice area) potentially affected in Asia alone. Frequent droughts result in enormous economic losses and have long-term destabilizing socio-economic effects on resource-poor farmers and communities. Click here to view the program.

Bumper issue of Rice Today now available online

Readers of the Oct.-Dec. 2006 bumper issue of Rice Today (just in time for the International Rice Congress next week) will learn of the story behind the rice that changed Asia, planning for the future, waterproof rice, and much, much more.

Forty years ago, IRRI scientists released a new rice variety under the unremarkable name of IR8. The new rice, shorter and stouter than its traditional predecessors, would help stem widespread famine and change the face of agriculture in Asia. The latest issue of Rice Today takes a look back at the breeding of IR8 and the people behind it, and a personal account of the variety’s role in the Vietnam War.

As well as stepping back into IRRI’s past, this issue also looks forward, with an examination of the Institute’s bold new strategic plan. The plan, which sets the course for 2007-2015, signals a move beyond IRRI’s traditional focus on rice production—increasing productivity or “filling the rice bowl”—which required an emphasis on favorable irrigated areas, to “filling the purse,” a major effort to improve farmers’ incomes in unfavorable rainfed areas.

Underscoring the potential for rice research to help poor farmers in rainfed areas, the magazine looks at the recent discovery of a rice gene that allows plants to survive prolonged flooding—a problem that causes crop losses of an estimated billion dollars each year. Already, researchers have developed submergence-tolerant rice varieties and are testing them in farmers’ fields. continued
 

New from CIMMYT

In the spirit of the IRRI-CIMMYT Alliance, we are providing some links to the most recent New from
CIMMYT.

CIMMYT researchers say participatory research supports their achievements
Farmers participate in a significant portion of CIMMYT research and technology testing, according to center researchers, and the scientists believe this makes their efforts more effective.

People of the Clouds
The Nepal Hill Maize Research Project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), reaches out to Nepal’s poorest farmers with new varieties and farming practices selected by the farmers themselves.

Clarion call to conservation in Mexico
Farmers in Michoacán state, south-central Mexico, are moving toward conservation agriculture.

IRRI Sportsfest Badminton Tournament update

The Apple Green team hangs on to a 1- game lead over Gold and Maroon, which are tied for second place as the tournament comes to a thrilling conclusion. In case teams are tied for first place at the end of the second round, the coordinators have agreed to hold playoffs following a format designed earlier to determine the champion. With 16 matches remaining, particular games to watch will be the 5 games between Gold and Maroon as they try to knock each other out of contention. Last year, it was also these two sides that vied for the championship. Expect their team supporters to come out in full force. See you there!

IRRI Sportsfest Bowling Tournament update

The Apple Green and Gold men’s bowling teams are deadlocked at 1 win apiece in their ongoing best-of-three match-up for the championship title, while the Gold women’s bowling team leads the Apple Green team 1-0 in its own best-of-three series. The remaining games to be played are on hold pending the finding of an alternate venue since the bowling lanes in the SU building at UPLB have been rendered unusable due to severe flooding during the recent typhoon.

Click here to keep up-to-date with the latest news and features about rice from Web sites worldwide:
* Gene researchers work on flood-resistant rice (VOA special English report)
* Japan's rice crops struggle

* Philippines customs releases Vietnamese rice ship
* Bio firm plans factory for rice in Kansas
* University of California Davis gets $25M for biofuels
* Much more
 

Click here to read about news and events at the TC via its Web site. 

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Click here to read news and feature stories and see more about what's new via the DPPC Web site.