Over 126 individuals reported dead or missing due to extensive flooding and landslides in the Philippines.
A cyclone named Trami departed from the northwestern Philippines on a Friday, resulting in at least 85 fatalities and 41 individuals reported missing. This catastrophic storm, referred to as one of the deadliest and destructive in the Southeast Asian archipelago for the year, left a trail of disaster according to the country's disaster-response agency. The death toll was projected to climb further as more reports were received from remote areas.
Local law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency personnel, supported by three backhoes and canine units, unearthed one of the last two missing villagers in the Talisay lakeside town of Batangas province on Saturday. A grieving father, anxiously awaiting news of his daughter who had gone missing, gave way to tears as rescuers transferred the remains into a black body bag. Overwhelmed, he trailed police officers as they carriage the corpse down a mud-covered village alley to a police van. Upon encountering a weeping resident, seeking to extend condolences, the man voiced his belief that the rescued villager was indeed his daughter. However, their claims needed confirmation through official identification procedures.
In a nearby basketball facility situated at the town's center, over a dozen white coffins were organized in rows, containing the remains of those discovered amidst the rubble of mud, rocks, and tree fragments that tumbled down the Talisay Sampaloc village slope on Thursday afternoon.
President Ferdinand Marcos inspected another region severely impacted by the storm, located southeast of Manila on Saturday. Marcos admitted the storm's unusually heavy rainfall - at times exceeding the monthly precipitation for several provinces - debilitated flood mitigation measures in affected regions why Trami hit.
“The water was simply too much,” Marcos remarked to journalists.
He clarified the rescue efforts had not yet been concluded, citing the persisting flooding in numerous, inaccessible areas. Marcos' administration announced plans to initiate a major flood control project aiming to counteract the severe environmental challenges brought on by climate change.
In excess of 5 million individuals were in the storm's path, including around 500,00 people seeking refuge in more than 6,300 temporary shelters throughout several provinces.
In an emergency Cabinet meeting, Marcos was concerned by projections from government meteorologists indicating the storm (the 11th to strike the Philippines in 2023) might execute a U-turn the upcoming week, as it faced resistance from high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.
Should the storm adhere to this forecast, it could bring devastation to Vietnam on the weekend.
The Philippines temporarily closed schools and government offices upon the storm's arrival for three consecutive days, ensuring protection of some 7 million inhabitants on Luzon's mainland. Ferry services connecting different islands were also halted, leaving thousands stranded.
A consensus of clear skies was observed in numerous locations on Saturday, enabling clean-up operations in most areas.
Every year, approximately 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines, an island nation situated between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, ranked as one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, resulted in over 7,300 deaths or disappearances, and annihilated entire communities.
The storm, named Trami, posed a potential threat to Vietnam if it followed its predicted U-turn, making it a concern for the entire Asia region. Despite the devastation in the Philippines, countries across the world have extended their support and condolences.
