one landslide, damaging 152 buildings, and knocking 152,000 apples to the ground. Nationwide, Zeb destroyed 770 homes and flooded another 12,548, with thousands forced to evacuate their homes due to flooding. Overall, there were 14 deaths and 67 injuries, with damage estimated at $335.5 million (1998 USD). Aftermath After the storm, then-Philippine president Joseph Estrada declared six provinces as a state of calamity, which allocated ₱1 million in emergency funds for each province. The president was unable to return home from a trip to Singapore due to the storm. The military was activated to help organize relief efforts, using rubber boats and trucks to reach the hardest hit areas as floodwaters decreased. They were aided by the Philippine Red Cross and other government agencies. Most evacuees returned home after the storm passed, excluding those whose houses sustained damage. Volunteers, the military, and public workers helped clean up from the damage. Just seven days after Zeb's damaging Philippine landfall, another typhoon—Babs—struck the same general region with a similar, but lesser intensity. After both storms, the Philippine National Electrification Administration provided ₱1.78 million to the Batanes Electric Cooperative to restore damaged power lines. Power was gradually restored in northeastern Luzon, allowing communication of the damage extent. The nation's Department of Health distributed ₱547,469 worth of medicine to four provinces. The government airlifted about 3,000 bags of supplies to Cagayan that included rice and canned goods. The back to back storm impacts caused an estimated 30% drop in coconut exports. Food prices rose dramatically, in some instances up to 400%, after both storms damaged crops. The storms also delayed shipments of sugar from neighboring countries, although prices were expected to fall once they arrived. By December 1998, consumer prices had risen by 11.2% over the previous year due to the typhoons' damage. Workers in Taiwan began a search-and-rescue mission for missing victims once the typhoon warning was lifted. Workers immediately began repairing road damage in Japan once the storm passed. See also Typhoon Koppu Typhoon Noul (2015) Typhoon Nida (2004) Typhoon Haima Typhoon Megi (2010) References External links JMA General Information of Typhoon Zeb (9810) from Digital Typhoon JMA Best Track Data (Text) JTWC Best Track Data of Super Typhoon 18W (Zeb) 18W.ZEB from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory 1998 Pacific typhoon season Typhoons in Japan Typhoon Zeb Typhoons Retired Philippine typhoon names 1998 disasters in the Philippines Typhoons in the Philippines