Rescuers battle to save people trapped in floods in northern Philippines
Manila: On Saturday, October 26, rescuers in the northern Philippines rushed to get to those who were still stuck in places rendered unreachable by floods caused by Tropical Storm Trami, which has killed at least 87 people and displaced over half a million.
Officials told AFP that those stuck on the rooftops and higher floors of their houses in the severely affected Bicol province were still waiting for much-needed help.
“The floodwaters are still going strong. “We’re still receiving a ton of calls for assistance,” area police head Andre Dizon told AFP.
“Since famine might be an issue, we must save them as quickly as possible. Reports are coming in that kids are already becoming ill.
He noted that food and drinking water were becoming more scarce in the Camarines Sur province in the region because some regions were still fully underwater and hard to reach.
Prior to his meeting with regional authorities, President Ferdinand Marcos inspected the damage on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Trami’s death toll continued to rise, with the bulk of the deaths occurring in the provinces of Bicol and Batangas, which are south of Manila.
In Bicol, police have reported 31 fatalities, the majority of which were drownings.
Jacinto Malinao, the provincial police commander, told AFP on Saturday that there were 51 confirmed deaths in Batangas and at least 22 persons were unaccounted for.
According to an AFP count based on official police and disaster agency sources, five additional fatalities have been verified in other regions, bringing the total to 87.
In a last-ditch effort to find the missing in landslide-affected regions, rescuers in Batangas, two hours south of the capital, were digging through muck up to three meters deep using backhoes and shovels.
When AFP reporters visited the area on Friday, they witnessed houses badly damaged by flash floods, cars partially immersed in mud, and roads obstructed by fallen trees.
“We are on a frantic search for folks who are safe. The police chief, Malinao, said, “I secretly hope that many of those reported missing are not beneath the mud and boulders, but just went somewhere without telling others.”
About 495,000 people have been displaced by the floods, which have flooded hundreds of towns throughout large areas of the northern Philippines, according to a report released by the National Disaster Agency on Saturday.
Every year, the archipelago country or the seas around it are struck by around 20 powerful storms and typhoons, which cause scores of fatalities and damage to houses and infrastructure.
According to new research, climate change is causing storms in the Asia-Pacific area to originate closer to coasts, strengthen more quickly, and linger longer over land.
