Torrential rains flood Manila. Tens of thousands of displaced
Manila (AsiaNews /
Agencies) - Torrential rains continue to fall on the west coast of the Philippines
after the passage of Typhoon Saola, which left 51 dead. This
morning, floods struck the island of Luzon and the capital Manila. In
some areas of the old town water levels exceeded three meters. Tens
of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. Today,
the government closed all schools and public buildings, including the stock
exchange. Rescue
operations are currently focusing on saving thousands of people were stranded
overnight in their cars and trucks. So far there are reports of dead, wounded and
missing.
The
worst flooding occurred near the La Mesa dam (Quezon City), which
provides electricity to the entire capital. After
24 hours of rain, this morning the basin spilled over, sweeping away entire neighbourhoods
such as Malabaon, Valenzuela and Caloocan.
Along
the Marikina River, the police have been struggling
for hours to evacuate more than 5 thousand residents of shantytowns built on
the banks of the watercourse.
Today,
President Benigno Aquino, asked rescuers and members of the government for
their "maximum effort" to help people affected by the flooding and
typhoon. To
help in rescue operations the army has deployed hundreds of soldiers, 200 boats
and over 20 trucks to transport essential goods.
Dozens of typhoons hit
the Philippines
each year, causing deaths and serious damage to crops and infrastructure. In
late September, typhoon Nesat caused over 100 deaths. In
2009, the country was reeling from the passage of tropical storm Ketsana and
typhoon Parma which in Manila alone claimed more than 1000 lives and
left 3 million people displaced. Some
areas of the city and the northern Philippines remained flooded for
months and even today still suffer damage from the storm and typhoon.
Saola
is the seventh of 20 typhoons and storms that, according to meteorologists, will
strike the Philippines
this year.
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02/11/2020 10:36
