03 September, 1984

TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY:

Philippines Typhoon Ike (international designation: 8411, JTWC designation: 13W, PAGASA name: Nitang ) with winds approaching 185 mph strikes the Surigao del Norte province in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. In Surigao del Norte, at least 27 towns were completely destroyed by the typhoon, leaving at least 304 dead. Some towns were washed away after Lake Mainit overflowed its banks, killing hundreds of people caught in the floodwaters.

Nearly 100,000 people were left homeless in Cebu and only one of the islands 21 radio stations was able to broadcast several days after the storm. About 70 percent of Surigao City was destroyed. In all, roughly 1.6 million people were affected in the country and 1,856 were injured. A total of 108,219 homes were destroyed and 142,653 others were damaged.

President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of calamity after Nitang’s onslaught. Marcos has refused all offers of assistance from outside the country.

(Ref: PAGASA; Photo (c) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NCDC)