Typhoon Igme Leaves Three Ships Down
By Noli C. Gabilo

M/V Don Rudito being pushed further inland at the port of Basco. Photo Credits: Noli Gabilo

As typhoons that pass through Batanes go, 160 kilometer-per-hour winds are unremarkable. In fact, in local parlance, such a typhoon would be classified as just another "banana typhoon" (Read that as, the extent of its damage would be limited to decapitated or fallen banana trunks.)

But Igme, whose international code name was Mindulle, distinguished itself with its excruciatingly slow progress: seven kilometers-per-hour. It lingered and it hovered over Batanes for seven long days . . . seemingly reluctant to depart from Philippine shores.

In its wake, it left the devastation of a steady rain and the unrelenting blow of a relatively benign wind. In the Cagayan Region and extreme Northern Luzon, it was massive floods. In Batanes, the damage was less widespread. Rice fields in Batan Island, some of which were just weeks from harvest, could not be salvaged.

The Batanes Multi-Purpose Cooperative felt the devastation wrought by Igme most keenly. The three ships they own and operate suffered various mishaps. The passenger ship, M/V Ivatan Princess was reported to have been lost off Calayan Island. Happily, no lives have been reported lost. Unwilling to face Igme at sea on its way south, the M/V Don Rudito reversed its course and sought shelter at Basco Port. Igme wrenched the ship from its moorings and beached it. The M/V Queen Fatima, which had run aground weeks earlier, was pushed further inland.

With three conduits to Batanes' economic lifeline cut, a short spurt of panic buying ensued. However, calm was restored when the M/V Batanes Traders arrived shortly after the storm departed.

Otherwise, life returned to normal quickly. Electric power and communications were restored in short order. Stranded passengers returned home on July 6th as Asian Spirit provided a special flight and resumed its regular three-flight weekly run. -ncg

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Photos by Noli Gabilo

Typhoon Igme lingered and hovered over Batanes for seven long days. Photo Credits: Noli Gabilo

Typhoon Igme left the devastation of a steady rain and the unrelenting blow of a relatively benign wind. Photo Credits: Noli Gabilo