MANILA, Oct 24 (NNN-PNA) – Flash floods hit several regions in the Philippines, as Tropical storm Trami brought heavy rains and plunged many areas without power, affecting over 380,000 people, authorities said, yesterday.
The slow-moving Trami, spotted 310 km east of Aurora province in northern Luzon, yesterday, packs 85 km per hour winds and gusts of up to 105 km per hour, as a tropical storm. It is expected to hit land over Isabela or northern Aurora early this morning.
Trami inundated streets, neighbourhoods, malls and rice fields, knocking out power in the affected Bicol region, south-east of Manila.
Social media footage showed cars being carried along streets by flood waters in Naga City and Legazpi City, on Tuesday night.
Jorize Rivera, a resident of Naga City, said, her neighbourhood was underwater after it rained all day Tuesday. “We still do not have electricity,” she said, in a phone interview.
In Albay province, residents were reportedly stuck on rooftops, waiting for rescuers as flooding and landslides paralysed transport in the affected areas.
Authorities and local media also reported flooding in central and southern Philippines. No immediate casualties have been reported.
The state weather bureau said that, heavy rainfall was expected to continue as the storm blew north-westward towards the landmass.
Trami is the 11th typhoon this year to slam into the Philippines, which is lashed by an average of 20 typhoons yearly.
The archipelago is prone to tropical cyclones, which trigger heavy rains, flooding and strong winds, resulting in casualties and destruction of crops and properties.– NNN-PNA
