Dozens killed In Philippine Typhoon

In Asia, Floods & Storms, News Headlines, Scientific Reports

Dozens of people have been killed in Typhoon Nalgae, the second typhoon to hit the Philippines in a week.

Nalgae pummelled the Philippines’ main Luzon island on Saturday, hitting many of the same areas Typhoon Nesat tore through five days earlier.

Nesat wreaked havoc on the region, killing more than 50 people.

About 3 million people have been affected by the two typhoons, and thousands remain stranded by flooding.

There is a severe shortage of clean water and food in the affected areas.

There are also reports of serious damage in the capital, Manila.

Aid agencies were forced to suspend clean-up and support operations for those affected by Nesat.

Philippines authorities have been rushing to help thousands of people marooned in their flooded homes for nearly a week.

“We have no food to eat, and no clean drinking water,” construction worker Orly Nabong said, as he joined hundreds of victims lining up for relief items on higher ground in Calumpit, one of the worst-hit towns.

“The water is slowly going down so we think we can wait it out, but we need supplies.”

Mr Nabong, 52, said adult members of his extended family remained on the second floor of their home, including his siblings, although the children had already been taken to an evacuation centre.

Calumpit, two hours’ drive north of Manila, is part of Bulacan province, a flat farming region that was particularly hard hit by the heavy rains of typhoons Nesat and Nalgae.

At the height of Nesat’s fury last week, authorities also released waters from dams which had reached critical levels, adding to the flooding.

The government warned on Sunday that rains from Nalgae could stream down from mountain ranges north of the flood zones and lead to higher levels of water. But by Monday morning (local time) the threat had passed.

Some towns have endured flooding nearly two storeys deep over the past week, although authorities said the worst of the waters on Monday were about chest high.

In Calumpit, residents waded through waist-deep flooding to reach the makeshift command post where food was distributed in sacks and a water filtration system was set up.

“We need clean drinking water and perhaps purification tablets,” said Cloie Cruz, 26, who left her parents and three siblings at dawn to fetch supplies.

Calumpit mayor James de Jesus said there would likely be no more need to forcibly evacuate those in their homes as the water cleared.

“The most important thing now is to reach those who still need help,” he told reporters.

The United Nations World Food Program, meanwhile, said it was distributing 100 tonnes of high energy biscuits to augment government relief assistance.

The Philippines endures about 20 major storms annually, but officials say the latest typhoons were among the most powerful this year with their massive rain bands covering most of Luzon, the country’s main and most populous island.

Leave a reply:

Your email address will not be published.

Mobile Sliding Menu