MANILA, Nov 12 (NNN-PNA) – Philippine rescuers evacuated people stranded on rooftops of their submerged homes today, as Typhoon Vamco caused major flooding in the capital, Manila, and several provinces in the main island of Luzon.
Typhoon Vamco, the third powerful cyclone to batter the Philippines in 11 days, made landfall last night, unleashed fierce winds and intense rains that triggered landslide, rockslide and flash floods, in regions ravaged by Super Typhoon Goni early this month.
Vamco also felled trees and caused massive power outages in large parts of Manila and many provinces.
At least one man died due to the typhoon, and three fishermen are reported missing, the country’s disaster agency said.
Many areas in Metro Manila and provinces in the Bicol region, as well as, in the central Luzon and northern Luzon, were inundated, state-run People’s Television Network footage showed.
Footage also showed farmers begging in the flooded road of Polangui town, in Albay province after Typhoon Vamco destroyed their crops.
The Philippine Coast Guard rescued 122 families in Cavite province. Rescuers used rubber boats to reach stranded people.
In Marikina City in Metro Manila, several families were evacuated to safety after the river swelled to a dangerous level. Soldiers also helped in the rescue operation.
Marikina Mayor, Marcelino Teodoro told radio DZBB that the city is overwhelmed, as floods reached the rooflines of several houses.
Distressed flood victims called local radio stations or posted on social media to appeal for help.
Defence Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana said, Vamco caused “huge damage,” adding, the typhoon flooded low-lying areas and “blown off structures.”
Vamco, packing sustained winds of 130 km per hour and gusts of up to 200 km per hour, is blowing away to the South China Sea.
One of the country’s worst, Typhoon Haiyan, killed over 7,000, in the central Philippines in Nov, 2013.
Nearly three-fourths of the country’s population is vulnerable to multiple natural hazards, and such disasters worsen poverty in typhoon-prone provinces along the country’s eastern seaboard.
The Philippines lost 463 billion pesos (roughly 9.56 billion U.S. dollars) in damages to natural disasters, from 2010 to 2019, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.– NNN-PNA
