[1]Screenshot of footage from an aerial drone assessment of flood damage after tropical storm Tembin (local name Vinta) in Cagayan de Oro City by Project LUPAD.
Days before Christmas Day last December 22, tropical storm Tembin (local name Vinta) rampaged through the southern Philippine Island of Mindanao. The powerful winds and heavy rains caused landslides and severe floods that left at least 200 people dead, 144 missing, and over 70,000 displaced [2].
Tembin exited the country on Christmas Eve [3], December 24, leaving behind a trail of devastation across Mindanao, especially in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur and on the Zamboanga Peninsula. A mudslide caused by the storm wiped out the remote village [4] of Dalama in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
Netizens used the Twitter hashtag #VintaPH [5] to monitor and give updates on the situation in the provinces battered by the tropical storm. Here are some photos showing the damage left by Tembin, as curated by social media users:
An aerial photo of part of Cagayan de Oro City that is flooding as of this moment, 22 December 2017, 10am.
photo from Mark Anthony Quitoriano https://t.co/Qk1CO4gecc [6]#CDO [7] #VintaPH [8] #CDOflood [9]
(c) PIA 10 pic.twitter.com/FMH6Xs1cOY [10]
— sheeni ? (@Sheeni5SOS) December 22, 2017 [11]
Let’s also include in our prayers the families residing in Pagalungan, North Cotabato who are affected by #VintaPH [8]. Unlike in Davao, they don’t have their evacuation center and as of the moment, no relief goods were sent to them ? pic.twitter.com/tkimluOJYr [12]
— John Dy (@ohmyjohndy) December 23, 2017 [13]
Keep safe everyone. ?
Location: Acasia St. Rotunda #VintaPH [8] pic.twitter.com/EbQbUddul5 [14]
— XVIII (@pogingpanganib) December 22, 2017 [15]
#VintaPH [8] hits Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay. Hundreds of families were evacuated due to extreme flash flood brought by the tropical storm. | by: Dhenisson Palar pic.twitter.com/S6ZNsEpO2I [16]
— The Blue Bridge (@ashsbluebridge) December 22, 2017 [17]
We did something today.
– carried boxes of water and food
– repacked goods
– distributed them
?DMMA GYM#VintaPH [8] #Davao [18] #DavaoWillSurvive [19] pic.twitter.com/IVvz9dVLHB [20]— POLVORON WEASLEY (@rvjGatchalian) December 23, 2017 [21]
Business resilience. No storm strong enough for this special delivery! Supposedly taken along the CDO street famous for the succulent all-time fave.
Positive vibes!#VintaPH [8]? ctto from friends pic.twitter.com/wuqVOiZf5n [22]
— Ana (@castillo19939) December 22, 2017 [23]
Nature can flood their lives… but Filipinos won’t stop flooding the world with smiles and laughter. #BecomingFilipino [24] #VintaPH [8] #CagayandeOro [25] pic.twitter.com/ADJOAGo8sb [26]
— Kyle Jennermann (@KyleJennermann) December 22, 2017 [27]
Various groups are using social media to coordinate disaster response and relief efforts too. Some netizens have also expressed sentiments online attributing the severe impact of tropical storm Tembin to logging and large-scale mining by big corporations in Mindanao:
my two cents after #vintaph [28]
deforestation by means of illegal logging in bukidnon area rajud akong gakakita nga rason nganong dali ra bahaon ang syudad esp ang dali nga pagsaka sa tubig sa cdo river. moreover, kudos to the evacuation preparations and disaster response cdo.
— ron ronnie niel (@ronieldotph) December 22, 2017 [29]
my two cents after #vintaph [28]
Deforestation by means of illegal logging in the Bukidnon area is the only reason I see why the city is quickly flooded and especially for the quick rising water from Cagayan de Oro river.
I CANT IMAGINE HOW THEY CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS IN MINDANAO AFTER TYPHOON #VintaPH [8] DEVASTATED FAMILIES AND KILLED THEIR LOVED ONES, WHILE THE ILLEGAL LOGGERS AND MILLIONAIRE MINERS ARE ENJOYING HAM ON THEIR TABLES!
ANO @HouseofRepsPH [30] and @senatePH [31] masaya na kayo?— Mike Tongco (@ekimtongco) December 24, 2017 [32]
I CANT IMAGINE HOW THEY CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS IN MINDANAO AFTER TYPHOON #VintaPH [8] DEVASTATED FAMILIES AND KILLED THEIR LOVED ONES, WHILE THE ILLEGAL LOGGERS AND MILLIONAIRE MINERS ARE ENJOYING HAM ON THEIR TABLES!
What @HouseofRepsPH and @senatePH, are you happy?
Nakakalungkot ang sinapit ng mga kababayan natin sa Mindanao dahil sa severe tropical storm #VintaPH [8]. ???
Guys, these are the effects of climate change and illegal logging. We must do something against them.
— Arnold James Garcia (@rjamzz26) December 23, 2017 [33]
What happened to our fellow Filipinos in Mindanao because of the sever tropical storm #VintaPH is saddening.
Guys, these are the effects of climate change and illegal logging. We must do something against them.