Death toll from Christmas rains, floods in Philippines now at 13
13 people have already died as a result of the Christmas Day rains and flooding in the southern Philippines, while another 23 people are still missing, according to the nation’s disaster management council.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the majority of the fatalities over Christmas were brought on by flash floods that followed two days of intense rain, which had an impact on more than 166,000 people and required more than 45,000 of them to seek shelter in evacuation centers.
Social media posts depict the coast guard, police, and firefighters wading through waist-deep floods while rescuing locals from landslide-affected areas and escorting them out of flooded villages and streets. According to a local news source, Inquirer.net, twelve roads were submerged by overflowing rivers on Tuesday, and more than 20 locations in the impacted area were still without power.
The latest torrential rains and flooding in the Philippines were caused by a shear line, an area where warm and cold winds collide and form massive rain clouds. This is in contrast to previous disasters brought on by tropical storms in the country.
A one-year-old daughter and a 64-year-old man drowned in separate events in the province of Camarines Sur, which is located about 270 kilometers (168 miles) southeast of Manila. In the southern province of Misamis Occidental, four additional people are said to have perished, including a 68-year-old woman who had a heart attack after being rescued.
According to the disaster organization, the majority of those still missing are fishermen who ventured out to sea despite the risks posed by inclement weather.
According to Carmelito Heray, director of the disaster agency in Clarin town, Misamis Occidental province, rescue efforts are still on, and agricultural damage is being evaluated.
Emeterio Roa, mayor of Clarin town, indicated on the radio that livestock was the main source of damage.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the nation’s weather agency, stated on Tuesday that the shear line continues to exist and will cause continued heavy rainfall in some areas of the nation as well as the possibility of rain-induced landslides in others.
PAGASA encouraged the general public and the relevant disaster risk reduction and management offices to take all necessary precautions to protect life and property.
Credit: Al-Jazeera
