The death toll from the worst storm to hit the Philippines this yr rose to 42 on Tuesday as rescuers found more bodies in villages devastated by rain-induced landslides.
Emergency personnel suspended the seek for survivors near Baybay City, in central Leyte province, late within the afternoon since it was “too dangerous” to proceed at nighttime, said Marissa Miguel Cano, public information officer for town government.
The country’s disaster agency said greater than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters because the storm hit the region on Sunday, flooding homes, flooding fields, cutting off roads and knocking out electricity.
Photos posted on Facebook and verified by Agence France-Presse show several houses buried to their roofs in mud in Bunga, certainly one of the affected villages in Leyte.
“Yesterday the rain was so heavy that it fell non-stop for over 24 hours,” said resident Hannah Cala Vitangcol.
The 26-year-old teacher fled to a hotel together with her family on Monday after waking up to seek out nearby houses covered in a mudslide.
“I cried because I knew the people buried there, but I was also afraid because there were mountains behind our house,” she said.
Filipinos die of diarrhea as typhoon cuts off access to scrub water and food
Filipinos die of diarrhea as typhoon cuts off access to scrub water and food
The Philippine Coast Guard and police rescued people from their homes within the flooded town of Abuyog, carrying residents onto orange stretchers stacked on floating boats.
Tropical Storm Megi – known locally within the Philippines as Agaton – is the primary major storm to hit the disaster-prone country this yr.
Rising seas, it forced dozens of ports to suspend operations and stranded nearly 6,000 people at the beginning of certainly one of the busiest travel times of the yr.
The storm comes 4 months after an excellent typhoon devastated parts of the archipelago, killing greater than 400 people and leaving tons of of 1000’s homeless.
Scientists have long warned that typhoons have gotten stronger faster because the world warms because of human-induced climate change.
