MANILA | The powerful typhoon that hit the Philippines killed 27 people, Civil Defense figures showed on Friday, as many parts of the archipelago suffered severe flooding.
The toll could grow worse, as the relief agencies are still checking the causes of some deaths. The national police reported 42 dead.
Torrential rains fell during the passage of the typhoon, the third to hit the Philippines in as many weeks, causing significant flooding especially in Manila and in several provinces bordering the capital.
Residents had to take refuge on roofs and balconies, many had to evacuate their homes.
With the recession, residents began to return to their homes to assess the extent of the damage.
In Marikina City, one of the hardest-hit areas of the capital, washing machines, televisions, furniture and bicycles covered in mud piled up in the streets as residents scrambled to sweep up debris.
Hundreds of thousands of homes were still without electricity on the island of Luzon, the most populous of the archipelago, struck Wednesday and Thursday by Vamco which led to landslides, caused tree falls and cut trees. roads.
The authorities want to organize the distribution of food and basic necessities to the victims, most of whom have already been affected by the previous typhoons Molave and Goni. They killed dozens, destroyed tens of thousands of homes and deprived entire regions of the country of electricity for weeks.
Defending executive action during the latest disaster, President’s spokesman Harry Roque said the government had “acted quickly”.
“Unfortunately, we could not do anything against the too rapid rise of the waters … but we made sure that no one was left behind,” he said.
According to authorities, many people ignored evacuation orders and were trapped in the sudden rise in water levels.
Police, soldiers and coast guards were deployed to assist relief efforts, including using boats to reach the thousands of stranded people.
The operations were complicated by the coronavirus epidemic.
The severe floods that hit Manila and the neighboring province of Rizal are reminiscent of those of 2009, when Typhoon Ketsana hit, which killed hundreds.