As Tropical Storm Trami roars near the east coast, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate and 14 people have been murdered. On Wednesday, rescuers from the Philippines plunged through chest-deep flooding to reach villagers trapped by the storm.
Entire communities have been swamped by torrential rain, which has also buried some cars in volcanic material that the rain has released and transformed roadways into rivers.
As the storm approaches the main island of Luzon in the Philippines, a region in Southeast Asia, at least 32,000 people have fled their homes in the northern Philippines, according to authorities.
According to police, “unexpectedly high” flooding was making rescue operations more difficult in the Bicol region, which is roughly 400 kilometers (249 miles) southeast of the capital Manila.
Because of the high level of flooding and the powerful current, we despatched police rescue teams, but they had trouble getting into some areas,” regional police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib told AFP.
Local police commander Erwin Rebellion told AFP that eleven people perished amid floodwaters in the Bicol city of Naga.
A youngster was murdered after slipping into a flooded canal, and an elderly woman perished in Quezon province southeast of the capital, according to authorities.
A falling tree branch killed one person, according to Manila’s civil defense agency.
The national weather agency reported that as of 8 p.m. (1200 GMT), the storm’s center was 150 kilometers east of the Isabela province of Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 95 kph.
At some point during the night or early Thursday, it was predicted to strike the coast of Isabela, waning a little as it passed the island and headed out into the South China Sea, the agency reported.
In just the last 24 hours, the area has already received more than 500 millimeters (1.64 feet) of rain, or more than a month’s worth.
In the Bato municipality of Camarines Sur province, muddy floodwaters covered the streets, leaving only the rooftops of homes and convenience stores visible in images confirmed by AFP on Wednesday.
It’s becoming risky. Karen Tabagan, a resident, told AFP, “We’re waiting for rescuers.”
“I feel a bit helpless.”
Half of the 600 communities in Naga, which is 40 kilometers from Bato, were completely flooded.
President Ferdinand Marcos declared that “the worst is yet to come” during an emergency meeting of government agencies on Wednesday morning.
I’m feeling a little powerless since all we can do is wait, sit tight, and hope and pray that there aren’t any victims or too much damage.”
There were over 2,500 different evacuation centers in Bicol that were providing shelter to families who had been forced from their homes.
Calubaquib, the Bicol police spokesperson, said that the rain from the Philippines’ well-known Mayon volcano also released volcanic sediment.
The weather agency warned of a “moderate to significant risk of life-threatening storm surge” or high coastal waves, prompting authorities to evacuate 216 residents from the coast near Divilacan and another 60 from the adjoining Palanan municipality further north in Isabela province.
Constante Foronda, a provincial disaster official for Isabela, told AFP, “They had to evacuate some Indigenous people who are living in dwellings built of light materials in reaction to the storm surge warning.
During this time of year, typhoons and storms are frequent in the area.
However, a recent study revealed that, as a result of climate change, they are forming closer to coastlines, strengthening more quickly, and persisting longer over land.
Every year, the Philippines and the surrounding waters are struck by about 20 powerful storms and typhoons, which cause scores of fatalities and damage to homes and infrastructure.
+ There are no comments
Add yours