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Typhoon Vamco (transliterated from Vietnamese Vàm Cỏ), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ulysses, was a powerful, deadly and very destructive Category 4-equivalent typhoon that struck the Philippines and Vietnam in mid-November 2020. It also caused the worst flooding in Metro Manila since Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. The twenty-second named storm and tenth typhoon of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season, Vamco originated as a tropical depression northwest of Palau, where it slowly continued its northwest track until it made landfall in Quezon. After entering the South China Sea, Vamco further intensified in the South China Sea until it made its last landfall in Vietnam.
Vamco made its first landfall in the Philippines near midnight on November 11 in the Quezon province as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon. The typhoon brought heavy rains to Central Luzon and nearby provinces, including Metro Manila, the national capital. As the typhoon crossed the country, dams from all around Luzon neared their spilling points, forcing dam operators to release large amounts of water into their impounds. As the Magat Dam approached its spilling point, all seven of its gates were opened to prevent dam failure, which overflowed the Cagayan River and caused widespread floods in Cagayan and Isabela. After entering the South China Sea, Vamco further intensified until it reached its brief peak as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon. On November 15, Vamco made landfall in Vietnam as a Category 1-equivalent typhoon before dissipating shortly after.
Days after the typhoon had passed the Philippines, rescue operations in the Cagayan Valley were still ongoing due to the unexpected extent of the flooding. In response to the typhoon's effects, the entire landmass of Luzon was placed under a state of calamity. As of December 2, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had stated that the typhoon had 112 casualties (including 102 validated deaths, and another 10 missing), and the damages caused by Vamco reached Philippine peso20.2 billion (US$418 million).
Residents in the Pollilo Islands and in Central Luzon were forced to evacuate a day before the storm's landfall. 14,000 residents were also to be evacuated in Camarines Norte. Bicol Region, one of the regions worst hit by Goni last month, evacuated 12,812 individuals ahead of the incoming storm. Over 2,071 passengers were stranded in ports in multiple regions of Luzon as sea conditions worsened. Philippine Airlines suspended flights due to the inclement weather brought by Vamco. The Office of the President of the Philippines suspended work in government offices and online classes in public schools in 7 regions, including the Metro Manila. 12 hours before the typhoon's landfall, the PAGASA raised Signal #3 warnings for areas to be hit by the typhoon on landfall including Metro Manila and the entirety of Central Luzon. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology then issued lahar warnings for the Mayon, the Taal Volcano, and Mount Pinatubo hours prior to the typhoon's landfall. Prior to the typhoon's landfall, at least 231,312 individuals were evacuated by local government units.
Vamco struck while the Philippines was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and various sections of the country were under different community quarantines.
Several areas in Luzon, including Metro Manila, reported that they experienced prior to the typhoon making landfall. The Philippine Stock Exchange was closed on November 12 due to the typhoon.
Emergency hotlines in some locations became unavailable because most emergency numbers provided by national agencies and local governments were landline phone numbers, which were difficult to call from mobile phones, and became totally inaccessible once telephone lines in the localities were brought down by the storm. The PAGASA's own phone lines went down due to technical problems on the morning of November 12, going back up a few hours later. Broadcast news coverage had been significantly reduced compared to typhoons in previous years as a result of the shutdown of the ABS-CBN broadcast network, which had local news bureaus and strong signal reach in provinces far from Manila. The shutdown caused an information gap among areas which could only receive the network's signals. Social media filled in some of the information gap, with some residents and even local governments treating it as a de facto emergency hotline.
In the early hours of November 12, local government officials began reporting that their local rescue capabilities were already overwhelmed, and that they needed help from the national government in the form of airlift support and help from the Philippine Coast Guard. After attending an online ASEAN summit that morning, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the nation via a pre-taped broadcast on state media television network People's Television Network (PTV), saying that he wanted to visit the storm-hit constituencies, but that he was constrained by his security personnel and doctor from doing so because of the risk to his safety and health. Actor Jericho Rosales and digital creative Kim Jones resorted to using their surfboards to rescue stranded citizens in Marikina. 52 national roads in 7 regions were damaged due to the typhoon's effects.
As of January 13, 2021, the NDRRMC reported 98 deaths and 19 missing caused by Vamco. Economic loss in infrastructure were at () while damage to agriculture reached (). Total damage across the country stood at (). The Cagayan Valley experienced the highest total amount of damage. At least 5,184,824 individuals were affected by the typhoon's onslaught. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police reportedly rescued 265,339 and 104,850 individuals, respectively. Contrary to the NDRRMC's report, Marikina officials report an unofficial damage of ₱40 billion (US$824 million).
In Pampanga, 86 villages experienced flooding due to the swelling of the Pampanga River.
By November 13, a water level of , 0.3 meters below the dam's spilling point, forced the Magat Dam to continue releasing water. All seven gates of the dam were opened at 24 meters as the dam released over of water into the Cagayan River as numerous riverside towns experienced massive flooding. Local governments continuously conducted rescue operations in their areas but had run out of equipment and manpower to rescue. Because there was very little media coverage of the flooding in the area, residents resorted to social media to request the national government for rescue. Waters under the Buntun Bridge went up as high as 13 meters, flooding the nearby up to the roofs of houses. Rescue efforts continued into the early hours of November 14, but low visibility made aerial rescue efforts impossible until daylight. Cagayan and Isabela subsequently declared a state of calamity.
Following the severe flooding in the Cagayan Valley, experts called the valley the most flood-prone area in the country. The National Irrigation Administration was criticized for releasing water from the Magat Dam, which allegedly made the situation worse.
Online discussion sparked regarding the Congress of the Philippines' budget cuts of () to the NDRRMC during deliberations on the 2020 national budget, along with the closure of Project NOAH, a disaster prevention and mitigation tool, in 2017 by the Department of Science and Technology, citing the lack of funds. Vice President Leni Robredo called for investigations after suspected oversights in disaster preparedness. Robredo stated that estimates on the possibility of flooding should be provided when a dam's gates are opened for public awareness. The House of Representatives of the Philippines has since filed for a probe into the circumstances which led to the severe flooding in Cagayan and Isabela.
Citizens on social media demanded accountability from the government, along with President Rodrigo Duterte, who had not made any appearance to the public during the typhoon's onslaught. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque later defended the president's whereabouts, citing that the president "is always on top of things." Roque denied shortcomings in preparation, however admitted that authorities "did not expect the gravity of the amount of water that descended on the lowlands." Roque also blamed multiple factors for the flooding, including climate change, deforestation, and illegal mining. Duterte also defended local government units in their disaster response measures.
As a result of the shutdown of the ABS-CBN broadcast network, an information gap was formed among remote areas which could only receive the network's signals. This was raised by citizens on social media, and by Robredo as well. Roque has since denied the existence of this gap.
In a televised briefing for the typhoon, Duterte made sex jokes on-air with other government executives, to the dismay of the public. Gabriela Women's Party representative Arlene Brosas criticized Duterte's audacity to make "inappropriate jokes when people literally drowned and died due to the series of calamities," and that the citizens needed an "effective leadership and a concrete plan." Roque defended Duterte's comments, saying that he was trying to "lighten the mood" after witnessing multiple consecutive tragedies and that the jokes were Duterte's way of coping with disasters.
In the aftermath of the typhoon, beginning November 15, some universities in the Philippines, including the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas, eased the academic workload for their students. Synchronous sessions through online videoconferencing were temporarily suspended, and deadlines for requirements were moved to succeeding weeks.
The Pasig government suspended classes from preschool to senior high school in both public and private schools for November 16 and 17. Quezon City officials also declared the suspension of online classes from kinder to senior high school on the same days. Marikina, after experiencing massive floods across the entire city, suspended classes in all levels until December 16.
After the season, the Typhoon Committee announced that the name Vamco would be removed from the naming lists. In 2022, Bang-Lang was selected as the replacement for Vamco.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> 25W.VAMCO from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
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